Burnout and Emotional Intelligence in Neurosurgical Advanced Practice Providers Across the United States: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

OBJECTIVE: Although much research has examined -ursing and physician burnout, the advanced practice provider (APP) population has not yet been studied. The goal of the present study was to survey APPs in neuro-surgery to determine whether greater emotional intelli-gence (EI) is protective against burnout. METHODS: An 80-item survey was created that incor-porated the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel, the Trait Emotional Intelli-gence Questionnaire-short form, and original questions developed by us. The collective survey was distributed, administered, and collected using the web-based REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) platform. Statistical analyses were completed using a comparison between participants with and without burnout. RESULTS: A total of 106 neurosurgical APPs (26 men, 80 women) completed the survey, of whom, 57 (54%) reported current burnout. High average scores for personal accom-plishment and global EI were inversely related to burnout (P = 0.034 and P = 0.003, respectively). In addition, the following factors were associated with burnout: inade-quate support staff in the work place (P = 0.008), inade-quate time off work (P < 0.001), inadequate administrative time (P = 0.009), not experiencing support from one's su-pervisor (P = 0.017), insufficient time for continuing medical education (P < 0.001), an inability to separate work from personal time (P < 0.001), and an inability to advance within one's professional field (P = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: For neurosurgical APPs, EI is protective against burnout. Many opportunities exist at the individual and organizational level to alleviate burnout among neurosurgical APPs. Targeted strategies to improve work- life balance, EI, support systems, and opportunities for career development among neurosurgical APPs might enhance employment satisfaction and reduce burnout.

Automated summary

This study focused on determining whether greater emotional intelligence (EI) is protective against burnout among advanced practice providers (APPs) in neurosurgery. The results showed that high average scores for personal accomplishment and global EI were inversely related to burnout. Factors associated with burnout included inadequate support staff and time off work, as well as insufficient administrative time and career advancement opportunities. Targeted strategies to improve work-life balance, EI, support systems, and career development opportunities could help reduce burnout among neurosurgical APPs.