Working in radiology is associated with higher levels of burnout during the pandemic, according to a new survey of nearly 3,200 clinicians.
COVID-19 has also disproportionately impacted women, younger providers and those whose caregiving duties have spilled into their work lives. Previous surveys have charted the public health crisis’ outsized impact on female physicians, who have been forced to take on a greater portion of childcare or household work. But researchers did not expect some of the other findings from their study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
“It was unsurprising that emergency medicine clinicians were more likely to report burnout during the pandemic, but surprising that clinicians in radiology also had higher burnout, perhaps because their work or income may have been dramatically reduced by the pandemic response,” Ellis Dillon, PhD, with the Center for Health Systems Research at Sutter Health, based in Sacramento, California, and colleagues wrote Nov. 2.
Dillon et al. conducted their confidential survey between June and August of last year, reaching out via email to 8,141 clinicians across nine medical groups and 17 hospitals at Sutter. A total of 3,176 responded (39%), with 29% reporting burnout. Such workplace fatigue was higher among female providers (39%) than men (23%). Being a woman was also tied to increased odds of experiencing burnout (odds ratio of 2.19), while those age 55 and older had lower chances (0.54).
Clinicians shouldering childcare or other such household duties had “substantially” higher odds of experiencing burnout (2.19), even when controlling for the influence of age or gender. Women also reported a higher rate of such duties affecting their work than men (33% vs. 19%). Worrying about workplace safety, taking on additional tasks on the job, and fears of getting fired all also increased burnout risk.
The authors noted that timing of the survey, during summer 2020, may have impacted concerns about safety, protective supplies and lost income. More long-term data are needed to better understand the pandemic’s impact on radiologists and other clinicians, they cautioned.
“Some of these concerns may have waned, but they offer important lessons about preparing for future pandemics,” Dillon and colleagues advised. “These results highlight the need for a holistic and targeted strategy for improving clinician well-being that addresses the strategic needs of different groups and incorporates holistic understanding of their personal and professional needs during the pandemic and beyond,” they added later.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.