First ever study finds sexual and gender minority physicians and residents have higher levels of burnout, lower professional fulfillment

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Contact: Gina DiGravio, 617-358-7838, ginad@bu.edu

(Boston)—Burnout is a public health crisis that affects the well-being of physicians and other healthcare workers, and the populations they serve. Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, lack of motivation, and feelings of ineffectiveness and inadequate achievement at work. Past studies have shown that compared to the general working U.S. population, physicians are at increased risk for burnout and less likely to be satisfied with their work-life balance.

Sexual and gender minority (SGM); lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) clinicians experience unique workplace stressors. However, few studies have explored the relationship between SGM status and occupational well-being in physicians and residents.

This first of its kind multicenter study from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center (BMC) shows an association between SGM status and occupational well-being for academic physicians and residents across the U.S. LGBTQ+ physicians and residents reported increased burnout and decreased professional fulfillment, and  LGBTQ+ physicians were more likely to express an intent to leave their current practice than non-LGBTQ+ peers.

“Our study highlights that LGBTQ+ physicians experience more burnout, less professional fulfillment and greater intent to leave their practice than non-LGBTQ+ physicians. Given the scarcity of LGBTQ+ physicians and the increasing prevalence of patients who identify as LGBTQ+, a disproportionate loss of LGBTQ+ physicians will negatively impact our profession's capacity to meet patients' need for high-quality, accessible health care,” says corresponding author Carl G. Streed, MD, MPH, FACP, FAHA, associate professor of medicine at the school and a primary care physician at BMC.  

Between October 2019 and July 2021, the researchers surveyed a cross-section of attending physicians and residents in the U.S. at eight healthcare organizations to assess for professional fulfillment, burnout and intent to leave the profession.

They found the prevalence of self-reported anxiety or depression was higher among SGM physicians and residents than their non-SGM peers. After adjusting for age, race, and ethnicity, SGM physicians compared to non-SGM peers had increased odds of reporting anxiety; similar results were found for self-reported depression.

According to the researchers, a healthcare workforce where clinicians look like the communities they serve is essential to improving health and well-being. Thus, retention of a diverse, vital clinician workforce is critical to patient care. “Given the importance of LGBTQ+ physicians in providing essential skills and sharing lived experience with many of our patients, it is important to understand the factors that affect their recruitment and retention,” said co-author Susannah G. Rowe, MD, MPH, FACS, Associate Chief Medical Officer for Wellness and Professional Vitality at BMC and assistant professor of ophthalmology at the school.

The researchers believe further research is needed to explore individual, community, and institutional factors affecting the well-being and success of of LGBTQ+ physicians and residents. 
 

These findings appear online in JAMA Network Open.

Dr. Streed was partially supported through the American Heart Association career development grant (AHA 20CDA35320148), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute career development grant (NHLBI 1K01HL151902-01A1), Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (Grant #2022061), the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine Department of Medicine Career Investment Award, and the Boston University Learn More Research Grant.

Note to editors:

Dr. Streed received consultation fees from EverlyWell, L’Oreal, the Texas Health Institute, the Research Institute for Gender Therapeutics, and the US Department of Justice unrelated to this work.