A State Chapter Perspective on Burnout and Resiliency

In the article, “Burnout in Young Family Physicians: Variation Across States”1, the authors reviewed and surveyed diplomates of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) in 2016, after 3 years in practice. The rates of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, 2 components of burnout, from 23 states, reveal significant variation by state and further variation between the 2 components within states. A previous study of all recertifying ABFM diplomates in 2016 found that 24.5% reported symptoms of burnout.2 However, physicians in their 30s had the highest overall rate with female physicians being particularly prone to burnout. The current study focused solely on this group of new physicians, demonstrating significant variation behind the averages. Understanding why the emotional exhaustion varies 3-fold between Michigan and South Carolina will be important to keep young family physicians engaged in the workforce and keeping their patients healthy. State chapters, such as the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP), are now talking about burnout, developing more resources for wellness, and advocating for strategies to decrease physician administrative burdens.