Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of Annals of Internal Medicine, ANNALS-24-00884. https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-24-00884 Dr. Christine A. Sinsky et al.
Points
- Physicians reporting poor control over aspects like patient load, team composition, and workload had higher levels of burnout.
- Lack of control over patient load and workload was strongly associated with physicians’ intentions to reduce clinical hours.
- While 74.6% of physicians had control over clinical schedules, only 49.0% reported adequate control over staff hiring, highlighting disparities in workplace autonomy.
- Enhancing physician control over critical areas such as workload and patient load may mitigate burnout and improve career satisfaction.
- The cross-sectional design limits causal conclusions, and findings may not generalize to smaller practices or diverse clinical settings.
Summary
This study explored the relationship between physicians’ perceived control over various aspects of their clinical work and their burnout and career intentions. A cross-sectional survey conducted between November 2022 and December 2023 included 2,144 U.S. physicians who were asked about their control over patient load, clinical team composition, workload, staffing, and clinical schedules. Results indicated that 61.4% reported adequate control over their patient load, 60.6% over team membership, and 61.3% over their workload.
However, fewer physicians (49.0%) reported adequate control over staff hiring, while 74.6% had control over their clinical schedule. Moreover, 58.3% reported having sufficient autonomy over their responsibilities.
The study found that poor control over various work aspects, including patient load, team composition, clinical schedules, and workload, were independently associated with higher levels of burnout. Specifically, poor control over patient load and workload were each significantly linked to intentions to reduce clinical hours (ITR). These associations were identified after adjusting for personal and professional characteristics, suggesting that lack of control may contribute to physician burnout and career dissatisfaction.
The limitations of this study include its cross-sectional nature, which prevents conclusions about causality, and the fact that the sample was limited to practices with more than 100 physicians, potentially limiting generalizability. However, the study underscores the importance of allowing physicians more control over their work environment to mitigate burnout and improve retention. Interventions to enhance control in critical areas such as patient load and workload may help reduce burnout and support physicians in maintaining long-term careers in clinical practice.
Link to the article: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-24-00884
References Sinsky, C. A., Brown, R. L., Rotenstein, L., Carlasare, L. E., Shah, P., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2024). Association of work control with burnout and career intentions among u. S. Physicians: A multi-institution study. Annals of Internal Medicine, ANNALS-24-00884. https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-24-00884
