had lower survival rates if treated by a male physician versus being treated by a female physician. Women experience burnout differently than men. According to Christina Maslach, a renowned burnout expert, the three dimensions of burnout are emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (cynicism), and lack of a personal sense of accomplishment. An international review examining the relationship of these three dimensions in women versus men revealed that women tend to score higher in emotional exhaustion and men higher in depersonalization across multiple types of professions and countries. Therefore, in women, emotional exhaustion may be the first stop on the path to burnout.6,7,8
STRATEGIES THAT ADDRESS THE DISPARITIES
Individual interventions8,9
• Four domains of resilience: emotional (calming techniques), mental (mindfulness), spiritual (knowing one’s purpose) and physical (including exercise and proper sleep) • Mindfulness-based stress-reduction techniques, educational interventions targeting a clinician’s communication skills and self-confidence, exercise or a combination of all • Physician-directed interventions combined at the organizational level had longer-lasting positive effects (for 12 months or more) than at the individual level alone
Physician leader interventions • Measure it and try to continuously improve it o Maslach Burnout Inventory (full or two-item version) o Physician Job Satisfaction Score o Brief Fatigue Index o Utrecht Work Engagement Scale o Mayo Physician Well Being Index • Four behaviors of physician leaders that promote job satisfaction and well-being in the physicians they lead: o Transparency in communication o Humble inquiry (showing interest, curiosity, and vulnerability to build a collaborative relationship) o Aiding in professional development (coaching/ mentoring) o Acknowledging the contributions of each physician they lead • Institutional o Address workload and scheduling issues o Measure burnout across all medical staff and continuously work to improve it o Optimize physician interaction with technology and the electronic health record o Create a common work/rest space for all medical staff (burnout rates decrease when physicians feel they are being taken care of) o Reconsider incentivized compensation (some studies show these plans may accelerate burnout in physicians)
Physicians working in specialties at the front lines of care (e.g. emergency medicine, family medicine, general internal medicine, neurology) are at the highest risk for burnout.
Evidence suggests that male doctors have a 40 percent higher chance of committing suicide compared to the general population, but female doctors have a risk that is 2-3 times higher
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