Exercise frequency and physician burnout among colorectal surgeons in the USA: should we be worried?

BACKGROUND

Burnout and low quality of life are common among surgeons in the USA. While self-care habits, such as physical activity, have been associated with improved well-being, they have not been evaluated among colorectal surgeons.

OBJECTIVE

To provide a cross-sectional analysis of exercise habits among colorectal surgeons in the USA and to evaluate the association between exercise and burnout symptoms, as well as to identify commonly reported burnout symptoms among this population.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis collected via a national survey.

SETTINGS: American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons members.

PATIENTS: Not applicable.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of burnout symptoms and analysis of physical activity among colorectal surgeons.

RESULTS

A total of 208 responses were analyzed. The respondents had a median of 16.2 [range 0-50] years in practice. Exercise frequency varied, with 13.9% reporting daily activity, 29.3% reporting activity 1-3 days per week, and 43.3% reporting activity 4-6 days per week. In the last 6 months, 77.4% of respondents reported experiencing burnout from work, 56.3% reported feeling overwhelmed, and 69.2% reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, or irritability. Respondents who reported lower levels of physical activity were more likely to report feeling overwhelmed (p = 0.003), suggesting an inverse relationship between exercise frequency and this symptom. A similar trend was observed for depressive symptoms, although this did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.058).

LIMITATIONS: Low response rate, potential nonresponse and selection bias, limited demographic and clinical data, and cross-sectional design preventing assessment of causal relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

Burnout symptoms were commonly reported among colorectal surgeons in the USA. Higher self-reported exercise frequency was associated with lower reported rates of certain burnout symptoms, particularly feelings of being overwhelmed. However, given the low response rate and study design, these findings should be interpreted cautiously and do not establish a causal relationship. Further prospective studies are needed to better define the relationship between physical activity and physician burnout.