ORIGINAL INVESTIGATIONS IN ANESTHESIOLOGY High Incidence of Burnout in Academic Chairpersons of Anesthesiology Should We Be Taking Better Care of Our Leaders? Gilda ` sio S. De Oliveira, Jr, M.D.,* Shireen Ahmad, M.D.,† M. Christine Stock, M.D.,‡ Ronald L. Harter, M.D.,# Marcela D. Almeida, M.D.,** Paul C. Fitzgerald, M.S., R.N.,§ Robert J. McCarthy, D.Pharm. ABSTRACT Background: Burnout is a work-related psychologic syn- drome characterized by emotional exhaustion, low personal accomplishment, and depersonalization. Methods: By using an instrument that included the MBI- HHS Burnout Inventory, we surveyed academic anesthesiol- ogy chairpersons in the United States. Current level of job satisfaction compared with 1 and 5 yr before the survey, likelihood of stepping down as chair in the next 2 yr, and a high risk of burnout were the primary outcomes. Results: Of the 117 chairs surveyed, 102 (87%) responded. Nine surveys had insufficient responses for assessment of burnout. Of 93 chairs, 32 (34%) reported high current job satisfaction, which represented a significant decline com- pared with that reported for 1 yr (P = 0.009) and 5 yr (P = 0.001) before the survey. Of 93 chairs, 26 (28%) reported extreme likelihood of stepping down as a chair in 1–2 yr. There was no association of age (P = 0.16), sex (P = 0.82), or self-reported effectiveness (P = 0.63) with anticipated likelihood of stepping down, but there was a negative asso- ciation between the modified efficacy scale score ( = -0.303, P = 0.003) and likelihood of stepping down. Of 93 chairs, 26 (28%) met the criteria for high burnout and an additional 29 (31%) met the criteria for moderately high burnout. Decreased current job satisfaction and low self- reported spousal/significant other support were independent predictors of high burnout risk. Conclusion: Fifty-one percent of academic anesthesiology chairs exhibit a high incidence/risk of burnout. Age, sex, time as a chair, hours worked, and perceived effectiveness were not associated with high burnout; however, low job satisfaction and reduced self-reported spousal/significant other support significantly increased the risk. A cademic anesthesiology chairs in the United States con- tend with job attributes that can be frustrating and eventually lead to emotional exhaustion and burnout. Exam- ples of these attributes include reporting conflicting relation- ships, responsibility for things over which they have no con- trol, and human resource challenges. To understand the emotional impact of these frustrations, it is important to * Instructor, † Associate Professor, ‡ Professor and Chair, § Research Associate,  Research Professor, Department of Anesthe- siology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chi- cago, Illinois, # The Jay J. Jacoby, M.D., Ph.D. Professor and Chair, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, ** Clinical Associate, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Received from the Department of Anesthesiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois. Submitted for publication April 12, 2010. Accepted for publication July 12, 2010. Support was provided solely from institutional and/or depart- mental sources. Address correspondence to Dr. McCarthy: Department of Anes- thesiology, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 251 E. Huron St., F5– 704, Chicago, Illinois 60611. r-mccarthy@northwestern.edu. This article may be accessed for personal use at no charge through the Journal Web site, www.anesthesiology.org. Copyright © 2010, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Anesthesiology 2011; 114: 181–93  This article is accompanied by an Editorial View. Please see: Shanafelt T: Burnout in anesthesiology: A call to action. ANESTHESIOLOGY 2011; 114:1–2. What We Already Know about This Topic • Burnout among academic chairs has been studied in other specialties and, when present, diminishes leadership What This Article Tells Us That is New • In a survey of 102 chairs of anesthesiology departments, more than half met the criteria for high or moderate burnout • Risk factors for burnout were low job satisfaction and reduced self-reported spousal/significant other support Anesthesiology, V 114 • No 1 January 2011 181 Downloaded from anesthesiology.pubs.asahq.org by guest on 05/30/2020