PS6-11: RISK FACTORS FOR BURNOUT AND DEPRESSION AMONG SURGICAL RESIDENTS
Anthony H Bui, BS, Kyu Young Oh, BA, Jonathan A Ripp, MD, MPH, Dahlia Hassan, MD, Frank Basloe, BS, Saadia Akhtar, MD, I. Michael Leitman, MD, FACS; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Background: Burnout and depression are increasingly prevalent among surgical residents. Studies have linked burnout and depression to poorer physician health, behavior, and care quality, as well as increased resident attrition. The goals of this study were to characterize the prevalence of burnout and depressive symptoms among surgical trainees, identify training program factors associated with these outcomes, and assess the impact of program-driven initiatives aimed at improving resident wellness.

Methods: A survey was administered to general, vascular, plastic, neurologic, orthopedic, head and neck, and urologic surgery residents at all training programs across an urban academic health system. The survey measured burnout, via the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and screened for depression via a modified version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). Demographic information, perception of workload, and perception of program-driven wellness initiatives, including the presence of wellness activities and dedicated faculty and housestaff champions, were also measured. Chi-square analyses were performed to evaluate the association between these variables and the primary outcomes.

Results: One hundred sixteen out of 229 residents completed surveys, for a response rate of 50.6%. Sixty-one (61.2) percent of residents screened positively for burnout  and 35.3% of residents screened positively for depression. Residents who were burned out were significantly more likely to report working greater than 80 hours per week (p=0.03), being unable to attend educational activities more than 50% of the workday (p=0.02), and lacking assistance with unloading clerical burden (p=0.01). Conversely, residents who reported having more opportunities for wellness activities (p=0.007), dedicated faculty wellness champions (p<0.0001), and dedicated housestaff wellness champions (p=0.005) were all less likely to screen positively for burnout or depression.

Conclusion: In this study, burnout and depression were found to be highly prevalent among surgical trainees. Additionally, increased workload was associated with poorer wellness outcomes, whereas presence of wellness supports was associated with better outcomes. These correlations suggest the potential value of initiatives to manage workload and support wellness in promoting the well-being of surgical resident physicians.