Meta-analysis of surgeon burnout syndrome and specialty differences
Open accessAbstract
Objective Surgeon burnout compromises the quality of life of physicians and the delivery of care to patients. Burnout rates and interpretation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) complicates the interpretation of surgeon burnout. The purpose of this study is to apply a standardized interpretation of severe surgeon burnout termed, "burnout syndrome" to analyze inherent variation within surgical specialties.Design A systematic literature search was performed using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EMBASE to identify studies reporting MBI data by surgical specialty. Data extraction was performed to isolate surgeon specific data.Setting A meta-analysis was performed.Results A total of 16 cross-sectional studies were included in this meta-analysis, totaling 3581 subjects. A random effects model approximated burnout syndrome at 3.0% (95% CI: 2.0%-5.0%; I 2 = 78.1%). Subscale analysis of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment indicated subscale burnout in 30.0% (CI: 25.0%-36.0%; I 2 = 93.2%), 34.0% (CI: 25.0%-43.0%; I 2 = 96.9%), and 25.0% (CI: 18.0%-32.0%; I 2 = 96.5%) of surgeons, respectively. Significant differences (p < 0.001) in MBI subscale scoring existed among surgical specialties.Conclusions Approximately 3% of surgeons suffer from extreme forms of burnout termed "burnout syndrome," although surgeon burnout may occur in up to 34% of surgeons, characterized by high burnout in 1 of 3 subscales. Surgical specialties have significantly different rates of burnout subscales. Future burnout studies should target the specialty-specific level to understand inherent differences in an effort to better understand methods of improving surgeon burnout.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
The measurement of experienced burnout
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981) · Journal of Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1002/job.4030020205 · Cited by 14,496 · see citing works
Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20311 · Cited by 4,200 · see citing works
Shanafelt, T. D., Hasan, O., Dyrbye, L. N., Sinsky, C., Satele, D., Sloan, J., & West, C. P. (2015) · Mayo Clinic Proceedings · doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.08.023 · Cited by 2,885 · see citing works
Champion, D. F., & Westbrook, B. W. (1984) · Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development · doi:10.1080/07481756.1984.12022754 · Cited by 2,389 · see citing works
Burnout and Medical Errors Among American Surgeons
Shanafelt, T. D., Balch, C. M., Bechamps, G., Russell, T., Dyrbye, L., Satele, D., Collicott, P., Novotny, P. J., Sloan, J., & Freischlag, J. (2010) · Annals of Surgery · doi:10.1097/sla.0b013e3181bfdab3 · Cited by 2,099 · see citing works
Burnout and Career Satisfaction Among American Surgeons
Shanafelt, T. D., Balch, C. M., Bechamps, G. J., Russell, T., Dyrbye, L., Satele, D., Collicott, P., Novotny, P. J., Sloan, J., & Freischlag, J. A. (2009) · Annals of Surgery · doi:10.1097/sla.0b013e3181ac4dfd · Cited by 1,275 · see citing works
Thomas, N. K. (2004) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.292.23.2880 · Cited by 750 · see citing works
Surgeon burnout: a systematic review
Dimou, F. M., Eckelbarger, D., & Riall, T. S. (2016) · Journal of the American College of Surgeons · doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2016.03.022 · Cited by 404 · see citing works
Quality of Life and Burnout Rates Across Surgical Specialties
Schwab, M. E., Evans, S. R. T., & Sosin, M. (2016) · JAMA Surgery · doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2016.1647 · Cited by 348 · see citing works
Self-citationKuerer, H. M., Eberlein, T. J., Pollock, R. E., Huschka, M. M., Baile, W. F., Morrow, M., Michelassi, F., Singletary, S. E., Novotny, P. J., Sloan, J. A., et al. (2007) · Annals of Surgical Oncology · doi:10.1245/s10434-007-9579-1 · Cited by 305 · see citing works
STRESS AND COPING AMONG ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY RESIDENTS AND FACULTY
Sargent, M. C., Sotile, W. M., Sotile, M. O., Rubash, H. E., & Barrack, R. L. (2004) · Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery · doi:10.2106/00004623-200407000-00032 · Cited by 224 · see citing works
Burnout in chairs of obstetrics and gynecology: Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
Gabbe, S. G., Melville, J., Mandel, L. S., & Walker, E. A. (2002) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1067/mob.2002.122391 · Cited by 220 · see citing works
Quality of Life During Orthopaedic Training and Academic Practice
Sargent, M. C., Sotile, W. M., Sotile, M. O., Rubash, H. E., & Barrack, R. L. (2009) · Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery · doi:10.2106/jbjs.h.00665 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Defining Burnout as a Dichotomous Variable
Dyrbye, L. N., West, C. P., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2009) · Journal of General Internal Medicine · doi:10.1007/s11606-008-0876-6 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Antiel, R. M., Reed, D. A., Van Arendonk, K. J., Wightman, S. C., Hall, D. E., Porterfield, J. R., Horvath, K. D., Terhune, K. P., Tarpley, J. L., & Farley, D. R. (2013) · JAMA Surgery · doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2013.1368 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Becker, J. L., Milad, M. P., & Klock, S. C. (2006) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2006.06.075 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
Golub, J. S., Weiss, P. S., Ramesh, A. K., Ossoff, R. H., & Johns, M. M. (2007) · Academic Medicine · doi:10.1097/acm.0b013e3180556825 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
Dyrbye, L. N., Freischlag, J. A., Kaups, K. L., Oreskovich, M. R., Satele, D., Hanks, J. B., Sloan, J. A., Balch, C. M., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2012) · Archives of Surgery · doi:10.1001/archsurg.2012.835 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
A National Study of Burnout Among American Transplant Surgeons
Bertges-Yost, W., Eshelman, A. K., Raoufi, M., & Abouljoud, M. S. (2005) · Transplantation Proceedings · doi:10.1016/j.transproceed.2005.01.055 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Residents' Response to Duty-Hour Regulations — A Follow-up National Survey
Drolet, B. C., Christopher, D. A., & Fischer, S. A. (2012) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejmp1202848 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Burnout in Academic Faculty of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery
Golub, J. S., Johns, M. M. E., Weiss, P., Ramesh, A. K., & Ossoff, R. H. (2008) · The Laryngoscope · doi:10.1097/mlg.0b013e31818226e9 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
The Prevalence and Severity of Burnout Among Academic Orthopaedic Departmental Leaders*
Saleh, K. J., Quick, J. C., Conaway, M. R., Sime, W. E., Martin, W. B., Hurwitz, S. R., & Einhorn, T. A. (2007) · Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery · doi:10.2106/jbjs.f.00987 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Burnout in Academic Chairs of Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery
Johns, M. M. E., & Ossoff, R. H. (2005) · The Laryngoscope · doi:10.1097/01.mlg.0000181492.36179.8b · Cited by 79 · see citing works
(2012) · PubMed · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Career Satisfaction and Burnout Among U.S. Neurosurgeons: A Feasibility and Pilot Study
Klimo, P., DeCuypere, M. G., Ragel, B. T., McCartney, S., Couldwell, W. T., & Boop, F. A. (2012) · World Neurosurgery · doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2012.09.009 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Burnout in Residency: A Statewide Study
Garza, J. A., Schneider, K. M., Promecene, P., & Monga, M. (2004) · Southern Medical Journal · doi:10.1097/01.smj.0000129926.66568.10 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Factors Correlating with Burnout in Practicing Otolaryngologists
Fletcher, A. M., Pagedar, N. A., & Smith, R. J. (2011) · Otolaryngology · doi:10.1177/0194599811428585 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Monitoring stress levels in postgraduate medical training
Hill, J. D., & Smith, R. J. (2008) · The Laryngoscope · doi:10.1002/lary.20013 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Using Liberal Criteria to Identify Burnout Poses the Risk of Pathologizing Normal Adaptive States
Bianchi, R., Lavaux, M., & Brisson, R. (2015) · Academic Medicine · doi:10.1097/acm.0000000000000962 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Factors associated with burnout syndrome in surgeons: a systematic review
Galaiya, R., Kinross, J., & Arulampalam, T. (2020) · The Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England · doi:10.1308/rcsann.2020.0040 · Cited by 214 · see citing works
Daryanto, B., Rahmadiani, N., Amorga, R., Kautsarani, I., Susilo, H., & Persada Isma, S. P. (2022) · Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health · doi:10.1016/j.cegh.2022.100994 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
- Authors
- Bartholomew, A. J., Houk, A. K., Pulcrano, M., Shara, N. M., Kwagyan, J., Jackson, P. G., & Sosin, M.
- Affiliations
- Georgetown University Medical Center (US)
- MedStar Health Research Institute (US)
- Howard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sosin, Michael
- Venue
- Journal of Surgical Education
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-09
- Volume
- 75
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1256-1263
- ISSN
- 1878-7452 (ISSN-L)
- 1931-7204
- PMC
- PMC6110990
- OpenAlex
- W2790200974
- Cited by
- 82
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 8 · 2018: 3
- FWCI
- 1.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of surgical education (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (UL1TR001409)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
- Keywords
- surgeon burnout, burnout, Maslach Burnout Inventory, surgical specialties, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment, physician well-being, quality of care
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Age Factors, Burnout, Professional, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Quality of Life, Sex Factors, Specialties, Surgical, United States, Incidence, Risk Assessment, Surgeons
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
