Burnout in Radiation Oncology Physician Workforce: The Effect of Mindfulness and Fulfillment.
Jacob Eckstein, Zaker H Rana, Sahar Caravan, Rajiv Sharma, Louis Potters, Bhupesh Parashar
Advances in radiation oncology 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2022.100971 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational survey study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 180 |
| Population | Residents and attendings across 17 specialties at a single tertiary care academic institution, including 18 radiation oncology physicians |
| Measures | Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index, personal questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness and professional fulfillment were each associated with significantly lower odds of burnout in multivariate analysis, and radiation oncology physicians reported less burnout than physicians in other specialties. Working more than 60 hours weekly was associated with higher odds of burnout, while spending more than 10 hours weekly with family or friends was associated with lower odds. |
Abstract
Mindfulness, defined as awareness of the moment while acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and sensations, is the aim of mindfulness meditation. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between burnout, mindfulness, fulfillment, and other personal characteristics in radiation oncology (RO) residents/attendings compared with other specialties. From December 2019 to February 2020, residents and attendings in multiple specialties at a single tertiary care academic institution were sent surveys, including the mindfulness attention awareness scale, Stanford professional fulfillment index, and a personal questionnaire. A Pearson correlation was conducted on the relationship between mindfulness, fulfillment, disengagement, and exhaustion. To determine risk factors for burnout (overall burnout ≥ 1.33), a univariate analysis was conducted to yield odds ratios (ORs) on debt, specialty, income, sleep, exercise, marital status, number of children, work hours, mindfulness (mindfulness attention awareness scale ≥ 4), fulfillment (professional fulfillment ≥ 3), and time with family/friends. Significant factors on univariate analysis were entered into multivariate analysis. There were 180 surveys completed by 60 residents and attendings across 17 specialties. Eighteen (30%) respondents were in RO. Mindfulness positively correlated with fulfillment (P < .001, r = 0.534), negatively correlated with exhaustion (P < .001, r = -0.578), and negatively correlated with disengagement (P < .001, r = -0.483). Univariate analysis for factors associated with burnout was significant for mindfulness (OR = 0.065, P < .001), RO versus other specialty (OR = 0.024, P = .044), working >60 h/wk (OR = 5.091, P = .018), spending >10 h/wk with family or friends (OR = 0.120, P = .001), and fulfillment (OR = 0.103, P < .001). Multivariate analysis showed mindfulness and fulfillment to significantly decrease odds of burnout. RO physicians experienced less burnout than physicians in other specialties at our institution. Mindfulness, professional fulfillment, moderate work hours, and spending time with loved ones protected against burnout. Further study of interventions to promote mindfulness and fulfillment may help us understand how best to improve the mental and emotional health of RO physicians.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Association of an Educational Program in Mindful Communication With Burnout, Empathy, and Attitudes Among Primary Care Physicians JAMA September 22, 2009
- Mindfulness, Compassion, and Self-Compassion Among Health Care Professionals: What's New? A Systematic Review Frontiers in Psychology July 31, 2020
- Mindfulness: a systematic review of instruments to measure an emergent patient-reported outcome (PRO). Quality of Life Research March 29, 2013
- Psychometric assessment of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) among Chinese adolescents. Assessment March 2012
and 1 more in the library