Burnout in pediatric residents over a 2-year period: a longitudinal study.
OBJECTIVE
Burnout is a work-related syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and lack of personal accomplishment (PA). We hypothesized that the transition into an environment of high physical, intellectual, and emotional demands of the medical profession would lead to an increase in the prevalence of burnout in pediatric residents, which would remain high throughout residency.


METHODS
The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was administered to pediatric residents at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital 6 times between February 2010 and February 2012. These times corresponded to the start of residency, mid-intern year, end-intern year, mid-junior year, end-junior year, and mid-senior year.


RESULTS
Mean values of burnout components changed significantly between the start of residency and mid-intern year. EE increased from 15.8 to 24.5 (P < .001), DP increased from 4.5 to 9.2 (P < .001), and PA decreased from 40.2 to 38.3 (P = .04). Similarly, the prevalence of burnout increased from 17% to 46% (P = .012), or 2% to 24% (P = .002) using more restrictive criteria, between the start of residency and mid-intern year. Significant changes in mean scores or prevalence of burnout were not found between any other consecutive times throughout residency.


CONCLUSIONS
This longitudinal study documented a significant increase in the components of burnout among pediatric residents between the start of residency and mid-intern year, which persisted through the PGY2 and PGY3 years. Further studies are warranted to identify correlates of resident burnout and to develop preventative strategies to reduce its occurrence.
['Pantaleoni|Julie L|JL|', 'Augustine|Erin M|EM|', 'Sourkes|Barbara M|BM|', 'Bachrach|Laura K|LK|']
D002055:Burnout, Professional D002140:California D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007396:Internship and Residency D008137:Longitudinal Studies D008297:Male D010372:Pediatrics D010549:Personal Satisfaction D013997:Time Factors
burnout pediatric residency longitudinal