Burnout Among South Dakota-Licensed Physicians.

Introduction: Physician well-being is a topic of increasing attention nationwide. In collaboration with the South Dakota Board of Osteopathic and Medical Examiners and the South Dakota State Medical Association, we undertook an anonymous, web-based survey of all licensed physicians to assess the current baseline level of physician burnout.

Methods: The survey consisted of demographic questions and a single, validated burnout question that correlates with the lengthier Maslach Burnout Index. A link to take the survey was emailed to all licensees by the Board, and a single reminder email and link was sent two weeks later. The collector was open for 4 weeks from date of the initial invitation. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed on the responses.

Results: There were 612 responses (10%). Overall 33.0% of responses were positive for burnout. Comparing subgroups divided by average work hours, practice size, community size, geographic location within the state, employment status, and specialty type, only those practicing primarily telemedicine demonstrated statistically significant lower prevalence of burnout (17%). Qualitative analysis identified themes that both increased risk and offered protection against burnout, including sense of control, availability of resources, relationships, and meaning in work.

Conclusion: Burnout among physicians licensed by South Dakota is prevalent, though lower than the rate reported in most studies of physicians nationally. Apart from practicing primarily telemedicine, there was no correlation between burnout and practice characteristics, but provoking and palliating factors across practice types were identified that may offer potential areas for intervention to improve wellness.