Associations between Organizational Support, Burnout, and Professional Fulfillment among US Physicians during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Goal: This research aimed to evaluate variations in perceived organizational support among physicians during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associations between perceived organizational support, physician burnout, and professional fulfillment. Methods: Between November 20, 2020, and March 23, 2021, 1,162 of 3,671 physicians (31.7%) responded to the study survey by mail, and 6,348 of 90,000 (7.1%) responded to an online version. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and perceived organizational support was assessed by questions developed and previously tested by the Stanford Medicine WellMD Center. Professional fulfillment was measured using the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index. Principal Findings: Responses to organizational support questions were received from 5,933 physicians. The mean organizational support score (OSS) for male physicians was higher than the mean OSS for female physicians (5.99 vs. 5.41, respectively, on a 0-10 scale, higher score favorable; p