title: Burnout phenomenon in U.S. plastic surgeons: risk factors and impact on quality of life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies by the American College of Surgeons reveal that nearly 40 percent of U.S. surgeons exhibit signs of burnout. The authors endeavored to quantify the incidence of burnout among U.S. plastic surgeons, determine identifiable risk factors, and evaluate its impact on quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  All U.S. residing members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons were invited to complete an anonymous survey between September of 2010 and August of 2011. The survey contained a validated measure of burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory) and evaluated surgeon demographics, professional and personal risk factors, career satisfaction, self-perceived medical errors, professional impairment, and family-home conflicts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 5942 surgeons invited, 1691 actively practicing U.S. plastic surgeons (28.5 percent) completed the survey. The validated rate of burnout was 29.7 percent. Significant risk factors for burnout included subspecialty, number of hours worked and night calls per week, annual income, practice setting, and academic rank. Approximately one-fourth of plastic surgeons had significantly lower quality-of-life scores than the U.S. population norm, and this risk increases in burned out surgeons. In addition to having lower career satisfaction and more work-home conflicts, plastic surgeons with burnout also had a nearly two-fold increased risk of self-reported medical errors and self-reported impairment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Over one-fourth of plastic surgeons in the United States experience validated burnout, with concomitant attenuated career satisfaction and quality of life. Multivariate analysis identified predisposing factors that may aid in better understanding risk profiles that lead to burnout; therefore, efforts to understand and thereby avoid this burnout phenomenon are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Chicago, Ill. From the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Hannan A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: Roshni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rawlani
authors.forename: Lauren M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Mioton
authors.forename: Gregory A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Dumanian
authors.forename: John Y S
authors.initials: JYS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Vinay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rawlani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D019300:Medical Errors; D008875:Middle Aged; D010815:Physician Impairment / Q000523:psychology; D011364:Professional Practice; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013518:Surgery, Plastic / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance