Unspoken Truths: Mental Health Among Academic Surgeons.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the current state of mental health within the surgical workforce in the United States. BACKGROUND: Mental illness and suicide is a growing concern in the medical community; however, the current state is largely unknown. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of the academic surgery community assessing mental health, medical error, and suicidal ideation. The odds of suicidal ideation adjusting for sex, prior mental health diagnosis, and validated scales screening for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol use disorder were assessed. RESULTS: Of 622 participating medical students, trainees, and surgeons (estimated response rate=11.4%-14.0%), 26.1% (141/539) reported a previous mental health diagnosis. In all, 15.9% (83/523) of respondents screened positive for current depression, 18.4% (98/533) for anxiety, 11.0% (56/510) for alcohol use disorder, and 17.3% (36/208) for PTSD. Medical error was associated with depression (30.7% vs. 13.3%, P <0.001), anxiety (31.6% vs. 16.2%, P =0.001), PTSD (12.8% vs. 5.6%, P =0.018), and hazardous alcohol consumption (18.7% vs. 9.7%, P =0.022). Overall, 13.2% (73/551) of respondents reported suicidal ideation in the past year and 9.6% (51/533) in the past 2 weeks. On adjusted analysis, a previous history of a mental health disorder (aOR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.04-3.65, P =0.033) and screening positive for depression (aOR: 4.30, 95% CI: 2.21-8.29, P <0.001) or PTSD (aOR: 3.93, 95% CI: 1.61-9.44, P =0.002) were associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation over the past 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 1 in 7 respondents reported suicidal ideation in the past year. Mental illness and suicidal ideation are significant problems among the surgical workforce in the United States.

Measuring Documentation Burden in Healthcare.

BACKGROUND: The enactment of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and the wide adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems have ushered in increasing documentation burden, frequently cited as a key factor affecting the work experience of healthcare professionals and a contributor to burnout. This systematic review aims to identify and characterize measures of documentation burden. METHODS: We integrated discussions with Key Informants and a comprehensive search of the literature, including MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and gray literature published between 2010 and 2023. Data were narratively and thematically synthesized. RESULTS: We identified 135 articles about measuring documentation burden. We classified measures into 11 categories: overall time spent in EHR, activities related to clinical documentation, inbox management, time spent in clinical review, time spent in orders, work outside work/after hours, administrative tasks (billing and insurance related), fragmentation of workflow, measures of efficiency, EHR activity rate, and usability. The most common source of data for most measures was EHR usage logs. Direct tracking such as through time-motion analysis was fairly uncommon. Measures were developed and applied across various settings and populations, with physicians and nurses in the USA being the most frequently represented healthcare professionals. Evidence of validity of these measures was limited and incomplete. Data on the appropriateness of measures in terms of scalability, feasibility, or equity across various contexts were limited. The physician perspective was the most robustly captured and prominently focused on increased stress and burnout. DISCUSSION: Numerous measures for documentation burden are available and have been tested in a variety of settings and contexts. However, most are one-dimensional, do not capture various domains of this construct, and lack robust validity evidence. This report serves as a call to action highlighting an urgent need for measure development that represents diverse clinical contexts and support future interventions.

A Pragmatic Approach to Assessing Supervisor Leadership Capability to Support Healthcare Worker Well-Being.

GOAL: We sought to build upon previous studies that have demonstrated how healthcare workers' ratings of their immediate supervisor's leadership capabilities relate to their well-being and job satisfaction. METHODS: In 2022, we analyzed cross-sectional data from 1,780 physicians and 39,896 allied health professionals (collected in 2017) and 729 residents (collected in 2019), as well as longitudinal data from 1,632 physicians (collected from 2015 to 2017), to identify a psychometrically strong, broadly applicable, actionable, and low-burden approach to assessing supervisor leadership capability to support healthcare worker well-being. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The magnitude of association between our 1-, 2-, 3-, and 9-item leadership indexes and burnout, and between our 1-, 2-, 3-, and 9-item leadership indexes and satisfaction with the organization were similar to each other in the cross-sectional and longitudinal cohorts and across diverse groups of healthcare workers, including physicians, residents, and allied health professionals. The likelihood ratio for a high leadership score increased with an increasing score for each leadership measure. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the 1-, 2-, and 3-item measures for a high leadership score was 0.9349, 0.9672, and 0.9819, respectively. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: A single item assessing perceptions of leadership capability efficiently provides useful information about leadership qualities of healthcare workers' immediate supervisors. The inclusion of this item in healthcare worker surveys may be useful for evaluating interventions and galvanizing organizational action to support healthcare worker well-being.

Professional Coaching and Surgeon Well-being: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if individualized professional coaching reduces burnout, improves quality of life, and increases resilience among surgeons. BACKGROUND: Burnout is common among surgeons and associated with suboptimal patient care and personal consequences. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial of 80 surgeons evaluating the impact of 6 monthly professional coaching sessions on burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory), quality of life (single-item linear analog scale), and resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale) immediately postintervention and 6 months later. Participants randomized to the control group subsequently received 6 professional coaching sessions during months 6 to 12 (delayed intervention). RESULTS: At the conclusion of professional coaching in the immediate intervention group, the rate of overall burnout decreased by 2.5% in the intervention arm compared with an increase of 2.5% in the control arm [delta: -5.0%, 95% confidence interval (CI): -8.6%, -1.4%; P =0.007]. Resilience scores improved by 1.9 points in the intervention arm compared with a decrease of 0.2 points in the control arm (delta: 2.2 points; 95% CI: 0.07, 4.30; P =0.04). Six months after completion of the coaching period, burnout had returned to near baseline levels while resilience continued to improve among the immediate intervention group. The delayed intervention group experienced improvements in burnout during their coaching experience relative to the immediate intervention group during their postintervention period (18.2% decrease vs 2.9% increase, delta: -21.1%, 95% CI: -24.9%, -17.3%; P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Professional coaching over 6 months improved burnout and resilience among surgeons, with reductions in improvement over the ensuing 6 months.

Residents' Perceptions of Faculty Behaviors and Resident Burnout: a Cross-Sectional Survey Study Across a Large Health Care Organization.

BACKGROUND: Data suggests the learning environment factors influence resident well-being. The authors conducted an assessment of how residents' perceptions of faculty-resident relationships, faculty professional behaviors, and afforded autonomy related to resident burnout. METHODS: All residents at one organization were surveyed in 2019 using two items from the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the faculty relationship subscale of the Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale (JHLES, range 6 to 30). Residents were also asked about faculty professional behaviors (range 0 to 30), and satisfaction with autonomy across various clinical settings. RESULTS: A total of 762/1146 (66.5%) residents responded to the survey. After adjusting for age, gender, postgraduate year, and specialty, lower (less favorable) JHLES-faculty relationship subscale score (parameter estimate, - 3.08, 95% CI - 3.75, - 2.41, p < 0.0001), fewer observed faculty professional behaviors (parameter estimate, - 3.34, 95% CI - 4.02, - 2.67, p < 0.0001), and lower odds of satisfaction with autonomy in the intensive care settings (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.30, 0.70, p = 0.001), but not other care settings, were reported by residents with burnout in comparison to those without. Similar relationships were observed when emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were analyzed separately as continuous variables. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, resident perceptions of faculty relationships, faculty professional behaviors, and satisfaction with autonomy in the intensive care unit were associated with resident burnout. Additional longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate the direction of these relationships and determine if faculty development can reduce resident burnout.

PA job satisfaction and career plans.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the relationships between burnout, job satisfaction, and career plans among physician assistants in the United States. METHODS: The authors surveyed PAs in 2016. The survey included the Maslach Burnout Inventory and items on job satisfaction and career plans. RESULTS: Overall 82.7% of PAs were satisfied with their job, 32.2% indicated intent to leave their current position, and 19.5% reported intent to reduce work hours. On multivariate analysis, burnout increased the odds of job dissatisfaction, intent to reduce work hours within the next year, and intent to leave the current practice in the next 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: About a third of PAs indicated intent to leave their current practice and one in five indicated intent to reduce their clinical hours. Burnout was an independent predictor of job satisfaction and career plans.

Relationship Between Burnout, Professional Behaviors, and Cost-Conscious Attitudes Among US Physicians.

BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of professionalism, little is known about how burnout relates to professionalism among practicing physicians. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between burnout and professional behaviors and cost-conscious attitudes. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional study in a national sample of physicians of whom a fourth received a sub-survey with items exploring professional behaviors and cost-conscious attitudes. Responders who were not in practice or in select specialties were excluded. MEASURES: Maslach Burnout Inventory and items on professional behaviors and cost-conscious attitudes. KEY RESULTS: Among those who received the sub-survey 1008/1224 (82.3%) responded, and 801 were eligible for inclusion. Up to one third of participants reported engaging in unprofessional behaviors related to administrative aspects of patient care in the last year, such as documenting something they did not do to close an encounter in the medical record (243/759, 32.0%). Fewer physicians reported other dishonest behavior (e.g., claiming unearned continuing medical education credit; 40/815, 4.9%). Most physicians endorsed cost-conscious attitudes with over 75% (618/821) agreeing physicians have a responsibility to try to control health-care costs and 62.9% (512/814) agreeing that cost to society is important in their care decisions regarding use of an intervention. On multivariable analysis adjusting for personal and professional characteristics, burnout was independently associated with reporting 1 or more unprofessional behaviors (OR 2.01, 95%CI 1.47-2.73, p < 0.0001) and having less favorable cost-conscious attitudes (difference on 6-24 scale - 0.90, 95%CI - 1.44 to - 0.35, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Professional burnout is associated with self-reported unprofessional behaviors and less favorable cost-conscious attitudes among physicians.

Perceived Electronic Health Record Usability as a Predictor of Task Load and Burnout Among US Physicians: Mediation Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Electronic health record (EHR) usability and physician task load both contribute to physician professional burnout. The association between perceived EHR usability and workload has not previously been studied at a national level. Better understanding these interactions could give further information as to the drivers of extraneous task load. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the relationship between physician-perceived EHR usability and workload by specialty and evaluate for associations with professional burnout. METHODS: A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey of US physicians from all specialties was conducted from October 2017 to March 2018. Among the 1250 physicians invited to respond to the subsurvey analyzed here, 848 (67.8%) completed it. EHR usability was assessed with the System Usability Scale (SUS; range: 0-100). Provider task load (PTL) was assessed using the mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, and effort required subscales of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (range: 0-400). Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. RESULTS: The mean scores were 46.1 (SD 22.1) for SUS and 262.5 (SD 71.7) for PTL. On multivariable analysis adjusting for age, gender, relationship status, medical specialty, practice setting, hours worked per week, and number of nights on call per week, physician-rated EHR usability was associated with PTL, with each 1-point increase in SUS score (indicating more favorable) associated with a 0.57-point decrease in PTL score (P<.001). On mediation analysis, higher SUS score was associated with lower PTL score, which was associated with lower odds of burnout. CONCLUSIONS: A strong association was observed between EHR usability and workload among US physicians, with more favorable usability associated with less workload. Both outcomes were associated with the odds of burnout, with task load acting as a mediator between EHR usability and burnout. Improving EHR usability while decreasing task load has the potential to allow practicing physicians more working memory for medical decision making and patient communication.

Ability of the Well-Being Index to identify pharmacists in distress.

BACKGROUND: Well-being and distress are important issues in the pharmacist workforce; yet, there is limited evidence evaluating the validity of practical screening tools among pharmacists. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the ability of the Well-Being Index (WBI) to (1) identify the well-being and dimensions of distress in pharmacists, and (2) stratify pharmacists' likelihood of adverse professional consequences. METHODS: In July 2019, a national sample of pharmacists completed the Web-based version of the 9-item WBI (score range -2 to 9) and standardized instruments to assess quality of life (QOL), fatigue, burnout, concern for a recent major medication error, and intent to leave the current job. The Fisher exact test or chi-square test was used, as appropriate, to obtain the univariate odds ratio, posttest probabilities, and likelihood ratios associated with the WBI score for each outcome. RESULTS: A total of 2231 pharmacists completed the survey. The most common practice settings were community pharmacies-chain (36.7%) and independent (10.7%)-followed by hospitals or health systems (20.1%) and academia (11.7%). The mean overall WBI score was 3.3 ± 2.73 (mean ± SD). Low QOL, extreme fatigue, and burnout symptoms were present in 34.8%, 35.3%, and 59.1%, respectively, of the responders. As the WBI score increased, the odds for low QOL, fatigue, burnout, concern for a recent major medication error, and intent to leave the current position increased incrementally. The WBI score also stratified the odds of high QOL. Assuming a pretest burnout probability of 59.1% (prevalence of the overall sample), the WBI lowered the posttest probability to 2% or raised it to 98% with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.87. CONCLUSION: The WBI may serve as a useful tool to gauge well-being and to identify pharmacists who may be experiencing important dimensions of distress and have increased risk for adverse professional consequences.

Burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration among PAs relative to other workers.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration among physician assistants (PAs) compared with other US workers. METHODS: We surveyed PAs and a probability-based sample of US workers. The survey included the Maslach Burnout Inventory and an item on satisfaction with work-life integration. RESULTS: Overall, 41.4% of PAs had burnout symptoms and 65.3% were satisfied with their work-life integration. In multivariable analysis, working in emergency medicine and dissatisfaction with control of workload and work-life integration were independently associated with having higher odds of burnout. PAs were more likely to have burnout than other workers but did not have greater struggles with work-life integration. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study suggest burnout and dissatisfaction with work-life integration are common. PAs appear at higher risk for burnout than workers in other fields.

Sex Difference in Celiac Disease in Undiagnosed Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: A higher proportion of female vs male patients receive a diagnosis of celiac disease. Little is known about sex-based differences in the prevalence of celiac disease in undiagnosed populations. We aimed to address this knowledge gap with a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and Scopus databases through 2017 for studies of screen-detected or undiagnosed celiac disease. Our final analysis included studies that included screening and confirmatory tests (either second serologic analysis or a small intestine biopsy) and provided information on the sex of participants. Studies were excluded if they were performed with specific, high-risk, or referral populations. The primary outcome was the percentage of undetected celiac disease among female and male patients. RESULTS: We identified 4070 articles and analyzed data from 87. Our meta-analysis comprised data from 291,969 study participants. The pooled prevalence of undetected celiac disease in female participants was 0.589% (95% CI, 0.549%-0.629%) and in male participants was 0.415% (95% CI, 0.343%-0.487%). The risk of undetected celiac disease was higher among female than male participants (relative risk [RR], 1.42; 95% CI, 1.27-1.57; P < .00001). The I2 was 5% (low heterogeneity among studies). In subgroup analyses, the RR of celiac disease for girls vs boys was 1.79 (95% CI, 1.44-2.22; P < .00001; I2 = 18%), the RR for female vs male blood donors was 1.13 (95% CI, 0.76-1.69; P = .54; I2 = 0), and the RR for women vs men with villous atrophy was 1.38 (95% CI, 1.07-1.79; P = .01; I2 = 0). CONCLUSIONS: In a systematic review and meta-analysis, we found a higher risk for celiac disease in women than men in an undiagnosed populations (identified through general population screening). The increased risk for celiac disease among girls and women should be considered for screening, diagnosis, and management strategies.

A cross-sectional study exploring the relationship between burnout, absenteeism, and job performance among American nurses.

BACKGROUND: Studies suggest a high prevalence of burnout among nurses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between burnout among nurses and absenteeism and work performance. METHODS: A national sample of U.S. nurses was sent an anonymous, cross-sectional survey in 2016. The survey included items about demographics, fatigue, and validated instruments to measure burnout, absenteeism, and poor work performance in the last month. RESULTS: Of the 3098 nurses who received the survey, 812 (26.2%) responded. The mean age was 52.3 years (SD 12.5), nearly all were women (94.5%) and most were married (61.9%) and had a child (75.2%). Participating nurses had a mean of 25.7 (SD 13.9) years of experience working as nurse and most held a baccalaureate (38.2%) or masters of science (37.1%) degree in nursing. A quarter worked in the inpatient setting (25.5%) and the average hours worked per week was 41.3 (SD 14.1). Overall, 35.3% had symptoms of burnout, 30.7% had symptoms of depression, 8.3% had been absent 1 or more days in the last month due to personal health, and 43.8% had poor work performance in the last month. Nurses who had burnout were more likely to have been absent 1 or more days in the last month (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.25-2.72) and have poor work performance (referent: high performer; medium performer, OR 2.68,95% CI 1.82-3.99; poor performer, OR 5.01, 95% CI 3.09-8.14). After adjusting for age, sex, relationship and parental status, highest academic degree, practice setting, burnout, depression, and satisfaction with work-life integration, nurses who were more fatigued (for each point worsening, OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.10-1.37) were more likely to have had absenteeism while those who worked more hours (for each additional hour OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96-1.00) were less likely to have had absenteeism. Factors independently associated with poor work performance included burnout (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.43-3.24) and fatigue (for each point of worsening, OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.12-1.33). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest burnout is prevalent among nurses and likely impacts work performance.

Methodological Standards for Meta-Analyses and Qualitative Systematic Reviews of Cardiac Prevention and Treatment Studies: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Meta-analyses are becoming increasingly popular, especially in the fields of cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment. They are often considered to be a reliable source of evidence for making healthcare decisions. Unfortunately, problems among meta-analyses such as the misapplication and misinterpretation of statistical methods and tests are long-standing and widespread. The purposes of this statement are to review key steps in the development of a meta-analysis and to provide recommendations that will be useful for carrying out meta-analyses and for readers and journal editors, who must interpret the findings and gauge methodological quality. To make the statement practical and accessible, detailed descriptions of statistical methods have been omitted. Based on a survey of cardiovascular meta-analyses, published literature on methodology, expert consultation, and consensus among the writing group, key recommendations are provided. Recommendations reinforce several current practices, including protocol registration; comprehensive search strategies; methods for data extraction and abstraction; methods for identifying, measuring, and dealing with heterogeneity; and statistical methods for pooling results. Other practices should be discontinued, including the use of levels of evidence and evidence hierarchies to gauge the value and impact of different study designs (including meta-analyses) and the use of structured tools to assess the quality of studies to be included in a meta-analysis. We also recommend choosing a pooling model for conventional meta-analyses (fixed effect or random effects) on the basis of clinical and methodological similarities among studies to be included, rather than the results of a test for statistical heterogeneity.

Should IGHV status and FISH testing be performed in all CLL patients at diagnosis? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Since the first description of the natural history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) by David Galton in 1966, the considerable heterogeneity in the disease course has been well recognized. The Rai and Binet staging systems described ∼40 years ago have proven to be robust prognostic tools. Over the past 2 decades, several novel biological, genetic, and molecular markers have been shown to be useful adjuncts to the Rai and Binet staging systems. In this systematic review, we examined the role of immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region gene (IGHV) mutation status and genetic abnormalities determined by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in patients with newly diagnosed CLL. The cumulative evidence presented in this systematic review is sufficient to recommend that FISH and IGHV be performed as standard clinical tests for all patients with newly diagnosed CLL in those countries with the resources to do so. In addition to clinical stage, these parameters could represent the minimal standard initial prognostic evaluation for patients with CLL. This approach will allow the application of powerful, recently developed prognostic indices (all of which are dependent on IGHV and FISH results) to all patients with newly diagnosed CLL.

Safety and Efficacy of Intravenous Lidocaine for Pain Management in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenous lidocaine in adult patients with acute and chronic pain who are undergoing pain management in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: We searched Ovid CENTRAL, Ovid EMBASE, and Ovid MEDLINE databases for randomized controlled trials and observational studies from inception to January 2017. Efficacy outcomes included reduction in pain scores from baseline to postintervention and need for rescue analgesia. Safety outcomes included incidence of serious (eg, cardiac arrest) and nonserious (eg, dizziness) adverse events. We used the Cochrane Collaboration tool and a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to evaluate the risk of bias across studies. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was used to evaluate the confidence in the evidence available. RESULTS: From a total of 1,947 titles screened, 61 articles were selected for full-text review. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria and underwent qualitative analysis, including 536 patients. The significant clinical heterogeneity and low quality of studies precluded a meta-analysis. Among the 6 randomized controlled trials included, intravenous lidocaine had efficacy equivalent to that of active controls in 2 studies, and was better than active controls in 2 other studies. In particular, intravenous lidocaine had pain score reduction comparable to or higher than that of intravenous morphine for pain associated with renal colic and critical limb ischemia. Lidocaine did not appear to be effective for migraine headache in 2 studies. There were 20 adverse events reported by 6 studies among 225 patients who received intravenous lidocaine in the ED, 19 nonserious and 1 serious (rate 8.9%, 95% confidence interval 5.5% to 13.4% for any adverse event; and 0.4%, 95% confidence interval 0% to 2.5% for serious adverse events). The confidence in the evidence available for the outcomes evaluated was deemed to be very low because of methodological limitations, including risk of bias, inconsistency, and imprecision. CONCLUSION: There is limited current evidence to define the role of intravenous lidocaine as an analgesic for patients with acute renal colic and critical limb ischemia pain in the ED. Its efficacy for other indications has not been adequately tested. The safety of lidocaine for ED pain management has not been adequately examined.

US Medical Student Plans to Practice in Underserved Areas.

This study explores US medical students' intent to practice in underserved areas, analyzed by demographic characteristics.