How to Prolong the Career Life of a Practicing Physician: Assessing the Causes and Extent of Physician Burnout in a Primary Care Setting

How to Prolong the Career Life of a Practicing Physician: Assessing the Causes and Extent of Physician Burnout in a Primary Care Setting

Tsigonis, Jean M. W.

URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11122/6426

Date: 2016-05-01

Publisher: University of Alaska Anchorage

Subject: physician ; burnout ; stress ; job satisfaction ; resilience ; wellness

Type: Report

Table of Contents: Signature Page / Title Page / Abstract / Table of Contents / List of Figures / List of Tables / List of Appendices / Chapter One: Introduction / Public Health Problem and Research Gap / Overall Goal / Tanana Valley Clinic / Research Question / Hypothesis / Overall Goal / Key Activities / Impact / Chapter Two: Review of Literature / Work Demands / Burnout / Causes of Burnout / Interventions / Individual Intervention / Organizational Intervention / Chapter Three: Method / Study Design and Theoretical Framework / Sampling / Data Collection / Instrument / Analysis Plan / Timeline / Plan for Protecting Human Subjects / Chapter Four: Results / Aggregate Demographic Breakdown / Histograms of Responses to Individual EE Questions / Histograms of Responses to Individual DP Questions / Histograms of Responses to Individual PA Questions / Cumulative Burnout Data / Aggregate AWS Results / Chapter Five: Discussion / Aggregate Data / Years to Retirement / High Risk Potential for Burnout / Comments / Chapter Six: Impact / Chapter Seven: Strengths and Limitations / Chapter Eight: Public Health Implications / Chapter Nine: Conclusions and Recommendations / Chapter Ten: Future Direction / Recognition / References / Appendices

Abstract:

Physicians report widespread burnout and job dissatisfaction. Institutional and personal changes are necessary for meaningful work and restoration of the joy of the practice of medicine. This practicum project conducted a survey to assess the causes and extent of physician burnout at Tanana Valley Clinic (TVC). The Areas of Worklife Survey-Maslach Burnout Inventory (AWS-MBI) was used to gather data on the causes and extent of physician burnout. Analysis of the AWS-MBI survey data produced by Mind Garden was done by the principal investigator. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) assesses the extent of physician burnout. The Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) reveals causes of burnout and enables directed interventions to help decrease the physician burnout. The data indicate that burnout does exist in two of the three areas of burnout assessed: emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Specific areas in the worklife were identified that cause burnout: workload, control, fairness and value. Suggestion for future direction includes interventions, analysis of those interventions, and an evaluation plan.