TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing mid-career female physician burnout in the military health system
T2 - finding joy in practice after the COVID-19 pandemic
AU - Korona-Bailey, Jessica
AU - Janvrin, Miranda Lynn
AU - Shaw, Lisa
AU - Koehlmoos, Tracey Perez
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply 2024.
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - Background: Rates of physician burnout increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and are expected to continue to rise. Mid-career physicians, female physicians, and military physicians have all been identified as potentially vulnerable populations to experience burnout. We examine factors associated with physician burnout among this intersectional group through a qualitative key informant interview study. Methods: We developed a semi-structured interview guide using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Improving Joy in Work Framework and recruited military, mid-career female physicians who worked in the Military Health System(MHS) during the COVID-19 pandemic, (March 2020 -December 2021). Notes were collated and deductive thematic analysis was conducted. Results: We interviewed a total of 22 mid-career female physician participants. Participants were between 30 and 44 years of age and 7 were mothers during the pandemic. Most were White and served in the Army. All participants discussed the importance of building rapport and having a good relationship with coworkers. All participants also described their discontentment with the new MHS GENESIS electronic health record system. An emerging theme was military pride as most participants were proud to serve in and support the military population. Additionally, participants discussed the negative impact from not feeling supported and not feeling heard by leadership. Conclusions: Much like providers in other health systems during the pandemic, MHS physicians experienced burnout. This study allowed us to gather key insights to improve policies for active duty service mid-career female military physicians. Provider inclusion, autonomy, and work culture play critical roles in future systems improvement and workforce retention.
AB - Background: Rates of physician burnout increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and are expected to continue to rise. Mid-career physicians, female physicians, and military physicians have all been identified as potentially vulnerable populations to experience burnout. We examine factors associated with physician burnout among this intersectional group through a qualitative key informant interview study. Methods: We developed a semi-structured interview guide using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Improving Joy in Work Framework and recruited military, mid-career female physicians who worked in the Military Health System(MHS) during the COVID-19 pandemic, (March 2020 -December 2021). Notes were collated and deductive thematic analysis was conducted. Results: We interviewed a total of 22 mid-career female physician participants. Participants were between 30 and 44 years of age and 7 were mothers during the pandemic. Most were White and served in the Army. All participants discussed the importance of building rapport and having a good relationship with coworkers. All participants also described their discontentment with the new MHS GENESIS electronic health record system. An emerging theme was military pride as most participants were proud to serve in and support the military population. Additionally, participants discussed the negative impact from not feeling supported and not feeling heard by leadership. Conclusions: Much like providers in other health systems during the pandemic, MHS physicians experienced burnout. This study allowed us to gather key insights to improve policies for active duty service mid-career female military physicians. Provider inclusion, autonomy, and work culture play critical roles in future systems improvement and workforce retention.
KW - Female physicians
KW - Mental health
KW - Military medicine
KW - Morale
KW - Physician burnout
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85188242178&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12889-024-18357-5
DO - 10.1186/s12889-024-18357-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 38509564
AN - SCOPUS:85188242178
SN - 1471-2458
VL - 24
JO - BMC Public Health
JF - BMC Public Health
IS - 1
M1 - 862
ER -