Trainee burnout: Are there modifiable factors?

Background: Burnout is a complex phenomenon and a major concern in graduate medical education as it directly impacts trainee well-being. Identifying modifiable lifestyle factors over which trainees have immediate control could support timely, actionable, individual and programme-level interventions to combat it.

Objective: The objective of this pilot study is to describe modifiable lifestyle factors that may limit the development of burnout in medical residents and fellows.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey of residents and fellows at academic medical centre from September 2017 to October 2017. Participants completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory and a questionnaire designed to identify factors hypothesised to be protective against burnout.

Findings: A total of 205/805 (25%) trainees completed the survey with a mean (SD) age of 29.7 (2.6) years. 52% (n = 107) were female. Averaging at least 7 h of sleep per night was found to have a significant association with lower scores for the emotional exhaustion (24.8 [11, p = 0.04]) and depersonalisation (11.1 [6.4, p = 0.02]) dimensions of burnout. Additionally, self-identifying as a healthy eater was found to have a significant association with lower scores for emotional exhaustion (25 [11.5, p = 0.03]) and depersonalisation (11.5 [6.6, p = 0.04]) as well. Workouts, hobbies, identifying with organised religion, praying, meditation and mindfulness activities were not associated with a difference.

Conclusions: Adequate sleep (7 or more hours per night) and healthy eating are modifiable individual-level lifestyle factors associated with lower burnout scores in trainees. These items could be a target for trainee education and programme level support initiatives.