The growing issue of burnout in radiology - a survey-based evaluation of driving factors and potential impacts in pediatric radiologists

Background Burnout in medicine, and specifically radiology, has been receiving more attention. Little data-driven literature is available regarding risk factors/causes to ultimately help guide the development of potential solutions. Objective To survey pediatric radiologists, a cohort with a documented high prevalence of burnout, and to understand the impact of clinical demands on nonclinical tasks and the implications of burnout on mental health. Materials and methods A survey of Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) North America attendings was performed regarding institutional factors contributing to burnout, including call burden, clinical demands, departmental support and administrative/academic tasks. Questions regarding mental health and wellness resources were also included. Generalized linear modeling assuming binomial distribution was used for analyses with SAS 9.4. Results The response rate was 305/1,282 (24%) with 53% of respondents female. Respondents reported that both the number and complexity of clinical cases have increased since they first started practice as an attending, while the time for interpretation has not changed, P<0.0001. Using a scale of 0 (never), 1 (rarely), 2 (sometimes), 3 (frequently) and 4 (always), covering multiple hospitals (2.2) and administrative tasks (2.4) were the most stressful job factors. For those in administrative roles, the most stressful job factors were job-related tasks affected teaching duties (2.0) and decreased overall job satisfaction (2.0). Of the respondents, 52% said they know a physician affected by work stress-related mental illness and 25% know a physician who has contemplated or committed suicide. While 39% of the respondents have resources available to address burnout, only 33% utilize these resources. Conclusion Increasing clinical demands and additional institutional/departmental factors play a potential role in burnout, which has serious implications for the mental health of pediatric radiologists.