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Research ArticleResearch

Stress, burnout, and strategies for reducing them

What’s the situation among Canadian family physicians?

F. Joseph Lee, Moira Stewart and Judith Belle Brown
Canadian Family Physician February 2008; 54 (2) 234-235;
F. Joseph Lee
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  • For correspondence: jlee@mcmaster.ca
Moira Stewart
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Judith Belle Brown
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    • View popup
    Table 1 Physicians’ responses on the Family Physician Stress Inventory

    Physicians rated their agreement with the 20 statements on a scale of 1–5, where 1—strongly agree, 2—somewhat agree, 3—neutral, 4—somewhat disagree, and 5—strongly disagree.

    STATEMENTSSTRONGLY AGREE (%)SOMEWHAT AGREE (%)NEUTRAL (%)SOMEWHAT DISAGREE (%)STRONGLY DISAGREE (%)
    1. My sense of professional obligation is too strong for my own good10.748.323.013.14.9
    2. I have learned to effectively say no to the many demands of my work12.343.513.927.03.3
    3. I find that I can balance family and personal life with my career well17.243.415.619.74.1
    4. I find keeping up with new medical information overwhelming25.436.120.513.14.9
    5. The amount of paperwork to do is far too much63.924.64.14.92.5
    6. Some of my difficult patients can ruin my whole day35.237.88.213.15.7
    7. I find patients with complex medical problems an interesting challenge9.844.321.318.95.7
    8. My current practice workload is under control18.038.518.921.33.3
    9. I use effective time management in my practice14.836.824.623.80.0
    10. Recent changes in the roles of family physicians have been good for me9.021.340.213.915.6
    11. I find the business aspect of practice stressful18.034.522.118.07.4
    12. Long waits for accessing specialists, diagnostic tests, and community resources bother me a lot55.130.88.35.00.8
    13. Current rules and regulations set by the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Ontario Drug Benefit Program are reasonable0.816.720.837.524.2
    14. I find that medicolegal issues and required documentation adversely affect the way I practice27.540.816.711.73.3
    15. I feel well supported by our local specialists3.327.517.539.212.5
    16. Fellow family physician colleagues are a great support to me20.838.427.510.03.3
    17. The shortage of family physicians makes it more difficult for me to enjoy my practice18.335.920.820.84.2
    18. I think that family medicine is the most undervalued discipline in medicine54.131.710.02.51.7
    19. I suffer from a high level of professional stress12.530.025.020.012.5
    20. I have a high level of job satisfaction15.848.423.37.55.0
    • View popup
    Table 2

    Stress levels and mean burnout scores

    PHYSICIANS’ STRESS INVENTORY SCORESMEAN EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION SCOREMEAN DEPERSONALIZATION SCOREMEAN PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT SCORE
    High (scores of ≥68)34.413.736.3
    Moderate (scores of 61–67)24.88.738.5
    Low (scores of ≤60)16.46.741.3
    • View popup
    Table 3 Personal strategies for managing stress

    Percentage of physicians who use these strategies frequently, occasionally, and infrequently.

    STRATEGYFREQUENTLY (%)OCCASIONALLY (%)INFREQUENTLY (%)
    I eat in a healthy, nutritious manner83.410.06.6
    I schedule time for myself and my family57.534.28.3
    I am involved in sports activities or exercise48.333.317.4
    I spend time in personal self-reflection37.026.936.1
    I am involved in cultural activities, music, art, or other hobbies24.229.246.6
    I spend time looking after my financial situation10.821.767.5
    I am involved in charities or community service8.417.574.1
    • View popup
    Table 4 Strategies for managing stress on the job

    Percentage of physicians who use these strategies frequently, occasionally, and infrequently.

    STRATEGIESFREQUENTLY (%)OCCASIONALLY (%)INFREQUENTLY (%)
    I strongly value my relationships with my patients85.810.04.2
    I participate in continuing medical education80.016.73.3
    I review my workload and scheduling57.533.39.2
    I discuss issues and problems with my staff57.533.39.2
    I use other nonphysician health professionals regularly in my practice57.526.715.8
    I am consistent in setting limits to my practice41.747.510.8
    I approach difficult tasks as opportunities to learn and develop my skills39.231.729.1
    • View popup
    Table 5 Components of burnout

    Percentage of physicians who had high, moderate, and low levels of emotional exhaustion, feelings of depersonalization, and a sense of personal accomplishment.

    SCORES FOR THE 3 COMPONENTSEMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION (%)DEPERSONALIZATION (%)LACK OF PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT (%)
    High (≥27, ≥10, ≤33)47.946.317.4
    Moderate (19–26, 6–9, 34–39)23.223.134.7
    Low (≤18, ≤5, ≥40)28.930.647.9
    TOTAL100100100
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Canadian Family Physician: 54 (2)
Canadian Family Physician
Vol. 54, Issue 2
1 Feb 2008
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Stress, burnout, and strategies for reducing them
F. Joseph Lee, Moira Stewart, Judith Belle Brown
Canadian Family Physician Feb 2008, 54 (2) 234-235;

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F. Joseph Lee, Moira Stewart, Judith Belle Brown
Canadian Family Physician Feb 2008, 54 (2) 234-235;
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