Relationship Between Physician Burnout and Patient’s Perception of Bedside Time Spent by Physicians

Abstract

Although the adverse effect of burnout on physicians has been widely documented, studies have shown an inconsistent relationship between burnout and the quality of patient care. We hypothesized that physician burnout will have an inverse relationship with the time spent at the bedside by physicians. In a cross-sectional study, we surveyed patients on their perception of the time spent by their physician on the day of the survey (4 categories: 0–5, 6–10, 11–15, > 15 minutes). Oldenburg Burnout Inventory was used to assess physician burnout; burnout was defined as high levels of both exhaustion (≥ 2.25) and disengagement (≥ 2.10). Among the 1374 patients, the most commonly reported time spent at bedside category was 6–10 minutes (n = 614, 45%). Among the 95 physicians who saw these patients, burnout was present in 44 (46%), with a higher prevalence in women (61% vs 39%; P = 0.04). Using ordered logistic regression, we found no relationship between physician burnout and patient’s perception of bedside time spent, without adjustment (odds ratio: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.65–1.16) or with adjustment (odds ratio: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.64–1.12) for potential confounders. Although physician burnout is not associated with patient perception of time spent at bedside, it may be associated with other patient outcomes that require further research.