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BACKGROUND: Burnout is common among physicians and affects the quality of care. We aimed to determine the prevalence of burnout among Japanese physicians working in stroke care and evaluate personal and professional characteristics associated with burnout. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional design was used to develop and distribute a survey to 11 211 physicians. Physician burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey. The predictors of burnout and the relationships among them were identified by multivariable logistic regression analysis. A total of 2724 (25.3%) physicians returned the surveys. After excluding those who were not working in stroke care or did not complete the survey appropriately, 2564 surveys were analyzed. Analysis of the participants' scores revealed that 41.1% were burned out. Multivariable analysis indicated that number of hours worked per week is positively associated with burnout. Hours slept per night, day-offs per week, years of experience, as well as income, are inversely associated with burnout. Short Form 36 mental health subscale was also inversely associated with burnout. CONCLUSIONS: The primary risk factors for burnout are heavy workload, short sleep duration, relatively little experience, and low mental quality of life. Prospective research is required to confirm these findings and develop programs for preventing burnout.
Nishimura et al. (Thu,) studied this question.