Article Figures & Data
Tables
- Table 1.
March 2022 Anonymous Clinician Burnout Quality Improvement Survey Respondent Demographics for the Full Sample and Family Practice Clinicians by Clinician Role for the Urban and Rural Subgroups
Full Sample (n = 1,085) Family Practice Sample (n = 223) Urban Subgroup (n = 736) Rural Subgroup (n = 349) Urban Subgroup (n = 86) Rural Subgroup (n = 137) Total (n = 1,085) Physicians (n = 419) APCs* (n = 317) Physicians (n = 170) APCs* (n = 179) Physicians (n = 47) APCs* (n = 39) Physicians (n = 59) APCs* (n = 78) Demographics n (%) n (%) n (%) n (%) n (%) n (%) n (%) n (%) n (%) Gender† Cisgender male assigned at birth 362 (33.4) 193 (46.1) 51 (16.1) 97 (57.1) 21 (11.7) 17 (36.2) <5 29 (49.2) 6 (7.7) Cisgender female assigned at birth 609 (56.1) 166 (39.6) 242 (76.3) 64 (37.6) 137 (76.5) 28 (59.6) 31 (79.5) 27 (45.8) 65 (83.3) Non-binary/Transgender/ Other/Prefer not to answer 69 (6.4) 40 (9.6) 13 (4.1) <10 13 (7.3) <5 <5 <5 <10 Missing 45 (4.2) 20 (4.8) 11 (3.5) <10 8 (4.5) <5 <5 <5 <10 Race/Ethnicity White 936 (86.3) 332 (79.2) 297 (93.7) 140 (82.4) 167 (93.3) 45 (95.7) 37 (94.9) 54 (91.5) 75 (96.2) Black 9 (0.8) <5 <5 <5 <5 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) Latino/a 15 (1.4) 8 (1.9) <5 5 (2.9) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) Asian 30 (2.8) 23 (5.5) <5 5 (2.9) <5 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) <5 0 (0.0) Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander <5 <5 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) American Indian/Alaska Native <5 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) <5 <5 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) <5 <5 Middle Eastern/North African 9 (0.8) 5 (1.2) 0 (0.0) <5 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) Other race/Multiple races/ethnicities‡ 43 (4.0) 23 (5.5) 8 (2.5) 9 (5.3) <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 Missing race/ethnicity 40 (3.7) 24 (5.7) 7 (2.2) <5 5 (2.8) <5 <5 <5 <5 Employment type Full-time 916 (84.4) 353 (84.3) 268 (84.5) 141 (82.9) 154 (86.0) 38 (80.8) 32 (82.0) 49 (83.0) 69 (88.5) Part-time 169 (15.6) 66 (15.8) 49 (15.5) 29 (17.1) 25 (14.0) 9 (19.2) 7 (18.0) 10 (17.0) 9 (11.5) Department Anesthesiology 86 (7.9) 23 (5.5) 39 (12.3) 5 (2.9) 19 (10.6) Cardiology 51 (4.7) 16 (3.8) 24 (7.6) <5 7 (3.9) Elder Care 24 (2.2) <10 14 (4.4) <5 <5 Emergency Services 69 (6.4) 30 (7.2) <10 18 (10.6) 12 (6.7) Family Practice 223 (20.6) 47 (11.2) 39 (12.3) 59 (34.7) 78 (43.6) General Internal Medicine 31 (2.9) 10 (2.4) <10 9 (5.3) <5 General Pediatrics 26 (2.4) 13 (3.1) <10 6 (3.5) <5 General Surgery 32 (3.0) 10 (2.4) 12 (3.8) 7 (4.1) <5 Hospitalist Services 66 (6.1) 42 (10.0) <10 15 (8.8) <5 Neurology 23 (2.1) <10 13 (4.1) 0 (0.0) <5 Obstetrics & Gynecology 44 (4.1) 20 (4.8) 12 (3.8) 9 (5.3) <5 Orthopedic Medicine/Surgery/Urgent Care 42 (3.9) 28 (6.7) <10 <5 <5 Urgent Care 37 (3.4) <10 19 (6.0) 5 (2.9) 12 (6.7) Specialty <2% of Total Respondents 310 (28.6) 150 (35.8) 104 (32.8) 30 (17.6) 26 (14.5) Missing 21 (1.9) 14 (3.3) <10 <5 <5 Note: Some small groups were combined and counts less than 5, and in some cases less than 10, were masked to reduce the risk of re-identification. Departments may not add up to 100% due to rounding and masking.
↵*Certified Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Nurse Midwife, Clinical Nurse Specialist.
↵†While respondents could select more than one gender, none did.
↵‡Respondents could select more than one race/ethnicity.
Abbreviation: APC, advanced practice clinician.
- Table 2.
Spearman’s Rho Correlation Matrices for the Mini Z 1.0 in Urban (Lower Diagonal) and Rural (Upper Diagonal) Subgroups of Physician and Advanced Practice Clinicians
Items Burnout Satisfaction Stress Control EMR Time Teamwork Chaotic Home EMR Values Burnout 1.000 0.589*** 0.596*** 0.572*** 0.424*** 0.350*** 0.366*** 0.238*** 0.345*** Satisfaction 0.613*** 1.000 0.433*** 0.534*** 0.340*** 0.461*** 0.284*** 0.227*** 0.417*** Stress 0.622*** 0.381*** 1.000 0.456*** 0.387*** 0.278*** 0.244*** 0.308*** 0.116* Control 0.509*** 0.462*** 0.469*** 1.000 0.610*** 0.347*** 0.397*** 0.221*** 0.308*** EMR time 0.400*** 0.345*** 0.380*** 0.510*** 1.000 0.192*** 0.378*** 0.375*** 0.225*** Teamwork 0.327*** 0.418*** 0.205*** 0.313*** 0.223*** 1.000 0.091 0.145** 0.436*** Chaotic 0.301*** 0.203*** 0.330*** 0.316*** 0.285*** 0.117** 1.000 0.105 0.123* Home EMR 0.170*** 0.158*** 0.218*** 0.222*** 0.463*** 0.193*** 0.100** 1.000 0.056 Values 0.341*** 0.529*** 0.155*** 0.281*** 0.205*** 0.357*** 0.126*** 0.042 1.000 ↵Note: Rounded to nearest thousandth place. *P <.05. **P <.01. ***P <.001.
Abbreviation: EMR, Electronic medical record.
- Table 3.
Survey Responses to Mini Z 1.0 Items, Work Intentions, and Negative Work Experiences Due to Race or Gender: Full Sample and Rural versus Urban Comparisons, Including by Clinician Type
Full Sample (n = 1085) Urban Clinicians (n = 736) Rural Clinicians (n = 349) Urban Physicians (n = 419) Rural Physicians (n = 170) Urban APCs (n = 317) Rural APCs (n = 179) Items n (%) Total n (%) Total n (%) Total P n (%) Total n (%) Total P n (%) Total n (%) Total P High satisfaction* 765 (73.1) 1047 510 (72.2) 706 255 (74.8) 341 0.385 279 (70.3) 397 122 (73.1) 167 0.507 231 (74.8) 309 133 (76.4) 174 0.681 High stress* 632 (60.4) 1047 429 (60.8) 706 203 (59.5) 341 0.702 249 (62.7) 397 92 (55.1) 167 0.091 180 (58.3) 309 111 (63.8) 174 0.232 Burnout† 485 (46.3) 1047 332 (47.0) 706 153 (44.9) 341 0.512 193 (48.6) 397 65 (38.9) 167 0.035 139 (45.0) 309 88 (50.6) 174 0.237 Values alignment* 728 (71.4) 1020 500 (72.8) 687 228 (68.5) 333 0.153 295 (75.4) 391 117 (72.2) 162 0.428 205 (69.3) 296 111 (64.9) 171 0.334 Lack of workload control‡ 438 (42.9) 1020 300 (43.7) 687 138 (41.4) 333 0.501 183 (46.8) 391 68 (42.0) 162 0.299 117 (39.5) 296 70 (40.9) 171 0.765 EMR time pressure‡ 399 (39.1) 1020 270 (39.3) 687 129 (38.7) 333 0.863 162 (41.4) 391 65 (40.1) 162 0.776 108 (36.5) 296 64 (37.4) 171 0.839 High teamwork§ 881 (86.4) 1020 592 (86.2) 687 289 (86.8) 333 0.788 337 (86.2) 391 145 (89.5) 162 0.289 255 (86.1) 296 144 (84.2) 171 0.567 Chaotic work atmosphere‖ 487 (47.7) 1020 350 (50.9) 687 137 (41.1) 333 0.003 202 (51.7) 391 65 (40.1) 162 0.013 148 (50.0) 296 72 (42.1) 171 0.100 High home EMR¶ 281 (27.5) 1020 183 (26.6) 687 98 (29.4) 333 0.349 110 (28.1) 391 55 (34.0) 162 0.174 73 (24.7) 296 43 (25.1) 171 0.907 Intent to leave practice in 2 years# 398 (39.0) 1020 263 (38.3) 687 135 (40.5) 333 0.488 152 (38.9) 391 71 (43.8) 162 0.280 111 (37.5) 296 64 (37.4) 171 0.987 Negative work experiences due to: Race** 11 (1.1) 1014 8 (1.2) 682 3 (0.9)†† 332 0.489 8 (2.1) 387 3 (1.9)†† 162 0.584 0 (0.0) 295 0 (0.0) 170 ‡‡ Gender** 69 (6.8) 1012 52 (7.6) 682 17 (5.2) 330 0.143 36 (9.3) 388 11 (6.8) 161 0.351 16 (5.4) 294 6 (3.6) 169 0.357 Note: χ2 analyses. P < .05 are bolded. Percentages rounded to nearest tenth decimal place.
↵*Agree/Strongly Agree.
↵†I am definitely burning out and have one or more symptoms of burnout, e.g. emotional exhaustion/The symptoms of burnout that I’m experiencing won’t go away. I think about work frustrations a lot/I feel completely burned out. I am at the point where I may need to seek help.
↵‡Poor/Marginal.
↵§Satisfactory/Good/Optimal.
↵‖Very Busy/Hectic, Chaotic.
¶Moderately High/Excessive.
#Moderate/Likely/Definite.
**Frequently/Fairly Often.
††Fisher’s exact test.
‡‡Not applicable.
Abbreviations: APC, Advanced Practice Clinician; EMR, Electronic medical record; Total, Total responses for the respective item for each group (excludes non-responses).
- Table 4.
Factors Related to Clinician Burnout: Adjusted Binary Logistic Regression Models for Physician and APC Subgroups in the Full Sample
Physicians APCs Mini Z Mini Z + Independent Variables Mini Z Mini Z + Independent Variables* Variables OR (95% CI) OR (95% CI) OR (95% CI) OR (95% CI) High satisfaction 0.16 (0.09-0.29)*** 0.16 (0.08-0.32)*** 0.28 (0.14-0.56)*** 0.46 (0.21-0.99)* High stress 7.11 (4.11-12.28)*** 6.36 (3.60-11.24)*** 6.63 (3.85-11.42)*** 6.32 (3.63-11.02)*** Values aligned 0.64 (0.34-1.21) 0.65 (0.33-1.26) 0.44 (0.24-0.78)** 0.48 (0.26-0.88)* Lack of workload control 2.68 (1.62-4.42)*** 2.42 (1.43-4.09)** 2.02 (1.18-3.46)* 1.98 (1.14-3.45)* EMR time pressure 1.42 (0.81-2.49) 1.53 (0.86-2.71) 1.35 (0.77-2.34) 1.30 (0.74-2.30) High teamwork 0.61 (0.26-1.43) 0.66 (0.27-1.62) 1.16 (0.57-2.39) 1.18 (0.57-2.46) Chaos in work atmosphere 1.24 (0.76-2.01) 1.12 (0.67-1.86) 1.57 (0.96-2.56) 1.54 (0.92-2.59) High home EMR time 1.17 (0.65-2.08) 1.28 (0.71-2.33) 1.37 (0.75-2.52) 1.47 (0.79-2.74) High intent to leave in 2 years 2.36 (1.39-4.02)** 2.38 (1.32-4.28)** Negative work experiences: Gender 1.94 (0.74-5.07) 2.61 (0.62-10.96) Race 0.12 (0.02-0.74)* Part-time† 0.53 (0.26-1.08) 0.53 (0.25-1.12) Rural clinician 0.62 (0.36-1.05) 1.32 (0.79-2.21) Gender‡ Female 0.96 (0.59-1.58) 0.94 (0.55-1.61) 1.40 (0.71-2.78) 1.42 (0.70-2.87) Other§ 0.86 (0.31-2.35) 0.83 (0.28-2.42) 1.02 (0.24-4.39) 0.88 (0.18-4.28) BIPOC/multiracial‖ 0.57 (0.28-1.14) 0.58 (0.27-1.22) 1.10 (0.30-3.97) 1.36 (0.37-5.02) N 517 516 446 444 Likelihood Ratio χ2 (df) 266.84 (11)*** 286.23 (16)*** 199.00 (11)*** 212.30 (15)*** Pearson’s χ2 Model Fit (df) 241.88 (216) 346.07 (337) 162.06 (154) 266.65 (262) McKelvey & Zavoina’s pseudo R2 0.548 0.591 0.484 0.515 Note: Models adjusted for gender (male, female, or other/prefer not to answer) and race (white or BIPOC/multiple race/ethnicity). ***P < .001, **P < .01, *P <.05.
↵*Negative experiences at work due to race was omitted due to collinearity.
↵†Compared with full-time employment.
↵‡Compared with males.
↵§Includes other, prefer not to answer, binary, transgender.
‖Compared with white.
Abbreviations: APC, advanced practice clinician; BIPOC, black, Indigenous, and people of color; CI, confidence interval; df, degrees of freedom; n/a, not applicable; OR, odds ratio; EMR, Electronic medical record.
- Table 5.
Factors Related to Clinician Burnout: Adjusted Binary Logistic Regression Models for the Rural and Urban Subgroups of Physician and Advanced Practice Clinician Survey Respondents
Rural Subgroup Urban Subgroup Mini Z Mini Z + Independent Variables Mini Z Mini Z + Independent Variables Variables OR (95% CI) OR (95% CI) OR (95% CI) OR (95% CI) High satisfaction 0.22 (0.10-0.51)*** 0.26 (0.11-0.65)** 0.19 (0.11-0.34)*** 0.24 (0.13-0.44)*** High stress 9.97 (4.89-20.29)*** 8.53 (4.09-17.78)*** 7.50 (4.63-12.13)*** 7.55 (4.60-12.41)*** Values alignment 0.38 (0.18-0.80)* 0.42 (0.19-0.90)* 0.57 (0.33-0.98)* 0.63 (0.36-1.09) Lack of workload control 3.11 (1.54-6.29)** 3.06 (1.47-6.36)** 1.97 (1.28-3.04)** 1.81 (1.15-2.83)* EMR time pressure 1.44 (0.68-3.02) 1.45 (0.67-3.13) 1.28 (0.79-2.06) 1.29 (0.80-2.11) High teamwork 1.64 (0.63-4.34) 1.67 (0.61-4.57) 0.69 (0.35-1.35) 0.75 (0.37-1.51) Chaotic work atmosphere 2.45 (1.29-4.67)** 2.53 (1.29-4.99)** 1.09 (0.71-1.65) 0.98 (0.63-1.52) High home EMR time 0.79 (0.37-1.69) 1.01 (0.45-2.27) 1.46 (0.87-2.42) 1.50 (0.89-2.52) High intent to leave in 2 years 2.18 (1.06-4.45)* 2.48 (1.54-3.98)*** Negative work experiences: Gender 0.95 (0.15-5.84) 2.34 (0.97-5.64) Race 0.25 (0.01-7.75) 0.09 (0.01-0.67)* APC* 1.31 (0.60-2.89) 1.01 (0.63-1.62) Part-time† 0.30 (0.11-0.81)* 0.67 (0.36-1.25) Gender‡ Female 1.55 (0.80-3.02) 1.81 (0.79-4.15) 1.06 (0.69-1.63) 0.97 (0.59-1.59) Other§ 1.19 (0.18-8.08) 0.81 (0.08-8.15) 0.73 (0.29-1.81) 0.72 (0.28-1.88) BIPOC/multiracial‖ 0.10 (0.02-0.46)** 0.11 (0.02-0.58)** 1.12 (0.56-2.24) 1.34 (0.63-2.86) N 317 315 646 645 Likelihood Ratio χ2 (df) 180.49 (11)*** 190.25 (16)*** 301.64 (11)*** 324.51 (16)*** Pearson’s χ2 Model Fit (df) 159.94 (150) 211.44 (212) 257.63 (228) 421.65 (386) McKelvey & Zavoina’s pseudo R2 0.609 0.643 0.502 0.537 Note: Models adjusted for gender (male, female, or other/prefer not to answer) and race (white or BIPOC/multiple race/ethnicity). ***P < .001, **P < .01, *P <.05.
↵*Compared with physicians.
↵†Compared with full-time employment.
↵‡Compared to males.
↵§Includes other, prefer not to answer, binary, transgender.
↵‖Compared to white.
Abbreviations: APC, advanced practice clinician; BIPOC, black, Indigenous, and people of color; CI, confidence interval; df, degrees of freedom; n/a, not applicable; OR, odds ratio; EMR, electronic medical record.
- Table 6.
Factors Related to Clinician Burnout: Adjusted Binary Logistic Regression Models for Family Practice Physicians and Advanced Practice Clinicians
Mini Z Mini Z + Independent Variables Variables OR (95% CI) OR (95% CI) High satisfaction 0.18 (0.06-0.52)** 0.18 (0.05-0.62)** High stress 16.40 (6.42-41.90)*** 13.43 (4.90-36.79)*** Values aligned 0.39 (0.14-1.09) 0.44 (0.15-1.31) Lack of workload control 1.83 (0.81-4.13) 1.75 (0.73-4.20) EMR time pressure 1.46 (0.63-3.40) 1.46 (0.60-3.56) High teamwork 1.42 (0.51-3.94) 1.31 (0.44-3.92) Chaos in work atmosphere 2.25 (1.06-4.78)* 2.02 (0.90-4.52) High home EMR time 1.13 (0.46-2.77) 1.85 (0.68-5.04) High intent to leave in 2 years 2.11 (0.84-5.30) Negative work experiences due to gender* 0.92 (0.11-8.09) APC† 2.53 (0.99-6.42) Part-time‡ 0.24 (0.07-0.81)* Rural clinician 0.60 (0.27-1.36) Gender§ Female 0.65 (0.25-1.69) 0.55 (0.17-1.72) Other‖ 1.36 (0.15-12.62) 0.52 (0.04-6.51) BIPOC/multiracial¶ 0.16 (0.03-1.02) 0.22 (0.03-1.74) N 212 209 Likelihood Ratio χ2 (df) 113.68 (11)*** 123.93 (16)*** Pearson’s χ2 Model Fit (df) 100.84 (103) 150.47 (164) McKelvey & Zavoina’s pseudo R2 0.586 0.645 Note: Models adjusted for gender (male, female, or other/prefer not to answer) and race (white or BIPOC/multiple race/ethnicity). ***P < .001, **P < .01, *P <.05.
↵*Negative experiences at work due to race was omitted due to collinearity.
↵†Compared to physicians.
↵‡Compared to full-time employment.
↵§Compared to males.
↵‖Includes other, prefer not to answer, binary, transgender.
↵¶Compared to white.
Abbreviations: APC, advanced practice clinician; BIPOC, black, Indigenous, and people of color; CI, confidence interval; df, degrees of freedom; n/a, not applicable; OR, odds ratio; EMR, electronic medical record.
Survey Questions Response Options Please tell us with which gender you identify, optional (select all that apply) Cisgender Male (assigned male at birth)
Cisgender Female (assigned female at birth)
Non-binary
Transgender
Other/Prefer not to answerAre you a (select only one)… Physician
Psychologist
Chiropractor
Certified Nurse Practitioner
Physician Assistant
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Certified Nurse Midwife
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Other ClinicianPlease describe your race/ethnicity, optional (select all that apply) White
Black or African American
Latino/a
Asian
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Native American or Alaska Native
Middle Eastern or North African
OtherUsing your own definition, are you full time or part time? Full time
Part timeIn which clinical site do you practice most? [healthcare system facilities by market] Mini Z 1.0 Items
The Mini Z was developed by Dr. Mark Linzer and team at Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis MN. The Mini Z survey tools can be used for research, program evaluation and education capacities without restriction. Permission for commercial or revenue-generating applications of the Mini Z must be obtained from Mark Linzer, MD or the Hennepin Healthcare Institute for Professional Worklife before use: Available at: www.professionalworklife.com. Questions drawn mainly from the Physician Worklife Study, MEMO study, and the Healthy Workplace study.Overall I am satisfied with my job* Strongly agree = 1
Agree = 1
Neither agree nor disagree = 0
Disagree = 0
Disagree strongly = 0I feel a great deal of stress because of my job Strongly agree = 1
Agree = 1
Neither agree nor disagree = 0
Disagree = 0
Disagree strongly = 0Using your own definition of “burnout,” please select one of the answers below I enjoy my work. I have no symptoms of burnout. = 0
I am under stress, and don’t always have as much energy as I did, but I don’t feel burned out. = 0
I am definitely burning out and have one or more symptoms of burnout, e.g. emotional exhaustion. = 1
The symptoms of burnout that I’m experiencing won’t go away. I think about work frustrations a lot. = 1
I feel completely burned out. I am at the point where I may need to seek help. = 1My control over my workload is Poor = 1
Marginal = 1
Satisfactory = 0
Good = 0
Optimal = 0My sufficiency of time for documentation is Poor = 1
Marginal = 1
Satisfactory = 0
Good = 0
Optimal = 0Which number best describes the atmosphere in your primary work area? Calm = 0
Not too busy = 0
Busy, but reasonable = 0
Very busy = 1
Hectic, chaotic = 1My professional values are well aligned with those of my department leader / immediate supervisor* Strongly agree = 1
Agree = 1
Neither agree nor disagree = 0
Disagree = 0
Disagree strongly = 0The degree to which my patient care team works efficiently together is* Poor = 0
Marginal = 0
Satisfactory = 1
Good = 1
Optimal = 1The amount of time I spend on the electronic medical record (EMR) at home is Excessive = 1
Moderately high = 1
Satisfactory = 0
Modest = 0
Minimal/none = 0What is the likelihood that you will leave your current practice within TWO YEARS? None = 0
Slight = 0
Moderate = 1
Likely = 1
Definite = 1How often do you encounter negative experiences at work due to your gender (e.g. being denied work opportunities, being isolated or treated as if you were not competent, experiencing repeated, small slights at work, or other forms of discrimination)? Frequently = 1
Fairly Often = 1
Infrequently = 0
Rarely = 0
Never = 0How often do you encounter negative experiences at work due to your race (e.g. being denied work opportunities, being isolated or treated as if you were not competent, experiencing repeated, small slights at work, or other forms of discrimination)? Frequently = 1
Fairly Often = 1
Infrequently = 0
Rarely = 0
Never = 0Note: Bolded versus non-bolded response options indicate responses that were combined to create binary variables, denoted “1” or “0.”
↵*Reverse coded.