Background: The rates of physician burnout have been widely reported. However, burnout rates among hospitalists, who have been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, are lacking. The objective of this study was to describe burnout, COVID-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and professional fulfillment among hospitalists.
Methods: A voluntary, anonymous survey was sent via email link to all hospitalists across a large health system in the New York metropolitan area between November 3, 2020 to November 24, 2020. The survey assessed burnout (modified Maslach Burnout Inventory), anxiety and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-4), professional fulfillment, perceived overall health over recent 4 weeks, and COVID-related PTSD.
Results: Of 91 respondents, 42.9% were between the ages of 30-39 years old, 38.5% were female, and more than half (51.6%) were up to 10 years out of residency. Nearly two-thirds (65.9%) reported feeling nervous, anxious or on edge and 31.9% reported feeling down, depressed, or hopeless at least several days on the PHQ-4 over a 2-week period. With regard to emotional exhaustion (modified Maslach Burnout Inventory), more than half (53.8%) felt emotionally drained from work at least a few times per month. Almost half (42.9%) endorsed experiencing moral injury in the workplace at least a few times a year. On the COVID-related PTSD measure, 25% reported having nightmares and 19.8% reported being constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled. The majority (86.8%) rated their overall health over the last 4 weeks as good, very good or excellent. With regard to professional fulfillment, although 73.6% responded that they felt valuable as a hospitalist and 84.6% reported that they were able to deal very effectively with their patient’s problems, only 60.4% were happy with their decision to become a doctor.
Conclusions: While most hospitalists felt valued and that they could meet their patients’ needs, reports of anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and COVID-related PTSD were extremely common. The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of hospitalists must be urgently addressed. Future directions include developing evidence-based interventions to help mitigate burnout and improve wellbeing among these frontline healthcare providers.