Family Physician Burnout Does Not Differ With Rurality

Purpose Burnout affects about half of family physicians (FPs). Minimal research exists which examines the impact of urban and rural practice settings on FP burnout. In this study, we examined whether rural practice is associated with FP burnout. Methods Data from the 2017 and 2018 American Board of Family Medicine Family Medicine Certification examination registration questionnaire were used. We limited our sample to FPs in continuity care in the United States. The questionnaire is a mandatory component of registration, resulting in a 100% response rate. Burnout was measured via 2 questions validated against the Maslach Burnout Inventory. We used logistic regression to determine associations between burnout and rural location, controlling for practice and personal characteristics. Findings Of the FPs surveyed, 2,740 met our inclusion criteria. Rural FPs were older, more likely to be male, and had a broader scope of practice than urban FPs. Rural FPs had a nonsignificantly higher burnout rate than urban FPs (45.1% vs 43.0%). Burnout was more common in younger and female FPs. We found no rural/urban differences between job satisfaction, practice environment, workload, and job stress; however, all of these characteristics were associated with burnout. In adjusted analyses, rural location was not associated with burnout (odds ratio = 1.15, 95% CI: 0.87-1.52). Conclusion In a large national sample, we found no difference in burnout between rural and urban FPs. This suggests there is nothing unique about rural practice that predisposes to burnout and that a common pathway to reduce burnout may exist.

Automated summary

Research shows that there is a slightly higher burnout rate among rural family physicians compared to urban family physicians. However, no significant differences were found between rural and urban family physicians in terms of job satisfaction, practice environment, workload, and job stress, all of which were associated with burnout.