Colin P West

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research | MMS · College of Medicine

Introduction: Systematic reviews by the WHO have shown an increased risk of morbidity and mortality related to ischemic heart disease and stroke among individuals working an average of ≥55 hours/week. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of U.S. physicians and a probability-based sample of the general U.S. working population (n=2,508) was conducted...

Objective: The purpose of this feasibility pilot study was to evaluate safety and adherence of a wearable brain sensing wellness device designed to reduce stress among healthcare professionals (HCP). Methods: A total of 40 HCP were invited to participate in an open-label pilot study. Participants were asked to use a brain sensing wearable device...

Objective: To explore the relationship of electronic health record (EHR)-based audit log data with physician burnout and clinical practice process measures. Methods: From September 4 to October 7, 2019, we surveyed physicians in a larger academic medical department and matched responses to August 1 through October 31, 2019, EHR-based audit log d...

Introduction/objectives: A culture of joy in the workplace supports well-being, but less is known about the effect of a shared experience on well-being and burnout in a health care setting. This pilot study investigated personal well-being and occupational burnout among primary care staff who participated in a 3-month virtual book club. Methods:...

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration (WLI) in US physicians at the end of 2021, roughly 21 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, with comparison to 2020, 2017, 2014, and 2011. Methods Between December 9, 2021, and January 24, 2022, we surveyed US physicians using methods similar to our prior stud...

Objective To determine the prevalence of imposter phenomenon (IP) experiences among physicians and evaluate their relationship to personal and professional characteristics, professional fulfillment, burnout, and suicidal ideation. Participants and Methods Between November 20, 2020, and February 16, 2021, we surveyed US physicians and a probability...

Objective: To determine if individualized professional coaching reduces burnout, improves quality of life, and increases resilience among surgeons. Summary background data: Burnout is common among surgeons and associated with suboptimal patient care and personal consequences. Methods: A randomized controlled trial of 80 surgeons evaluating the...

Background Work-related stress is one of the top sources of stress amongst working adults. Relaxation rooms are one organizational strategy being used to reduce workplace stress. Amongst healthcare workers, relaxation rooms have been shown to improve perceived stress levels after 15 min of use. However, few studies have examined physiological and c...

Objective To evaluate the outcomes, safety, and efficacy of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with newer P2Y12 inhibitors compared with clopidogrel in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiac arrest (CA) or cardiogenic shock (CS). Patients and Methods MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were queried systematicall...

Importance: Burnout is common among physicians and is associated with suboptimal patient outcomes. Little is known about how experiences with patients, families, and visitors differ by physician characteristics or contribute to the risk of burnout. Objective: To examine the occurrence of mistreatment and discrimination by patients, families, and...

Purpose: To examine associations of social support and social isolation with burnout, program satisfaction, and organization satisfaction among a large population of U.S. residents and fellows and to identify correlates of social support and social isolation. Method: All residents and fellows enrolled in graduate medical education programs at Ma...

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration (WLI) among physicians and US workers in 2020 relative to 2011, 2014, and 2017. Methods Between November 20, 2020, and March 23, 2021, we surveyed US physicians and a probability-based sample of the US working population using methods similar to our prior s...

Objective To estimate the excess health care expenditures due to US primary care physician (PCP) turnover, both overall and specific to burnout. Methods We estimated the excess health care expenditures attributable to PCP turnover using published data for Medicare patients, calculated estimates for non-Medicare patients, and the American Medical A...

Purpose: To determine if bedside rounds, compared to other forms of hospital ward rounds, improve learning outcomes in medical education. Method: For this systematic review, the authors searched Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus from inception through February 20, 2020. Experimental studies were included if they (1) compared bedside rounds to any...

Purpose: Although previous studies have revealed professional consequences of burnout among nurses, less is known about the potential personal consequences. This study investigated the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attitudes toward help seeking among U.S. nurses relative to other workers, and the extent to which personal and professional fac...

Objective: To evaluate the relationships between immediate supervisors' leadership qualities and the subsequent levels and changes in burnout and satisfaction of supervised physicians 2 years later. Participants and methods: In 2015 and 2017 physicians were asked to complete surveys that included the 9-item Mayo Clinic Leadership Score (range, 9...

Importance Burnout is a pervasive, unrelenting problem among health care workers (HCWs), with detrimental impact to patients. Data on the impact of burnout on workforce staffing are limited and could help build a financial case for action to address system-level contributors to burnout. Objective To explore the association of burnout and professio...

Importance Previous studies have shown that medical student mistreatment and burnout are common. However, few longitudinal data exist to describe how mistreatment and other learning environment experiences are associated with subsequent burnout and other student characteristics. Objective To examine the association between mistreatment and percept...

Objective To evaluate physician small groups to promote physician well-being in a scenario with provided discussion topics but without trained facilitators, and for which protected time was not provided but meal expenses were compensated. Participants and Methods We conducted a randomized controlled trial of 125 practicing physicians in the Depart...

Objective: To explore the relationship between learning environment culture and the subsequent risk of developing burnout in a national sample of residents overall and by gender. Methods: From April 7 to August 2, 2016, and May 26 to August 5, 2017, we surveyed residents in their second (R2) and third (R3) postgraduate year. The survey included...

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI) and attitudes regarding help seeking among US physicians relative to the general US working population. Participants and Methods A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey of US physicians and a probability-based sample of the US working population was conducted between October 1...

Objective: To understand the relationships between burnout, job satisfaction, and career plans among physician assistants in the United States. Methods: The authors surveyed PAs in 2016. The survey included the Maslach Burnout Inventory and items on job satisfaction and career plans. Results: Overall 82.7% of PAs were satisfied with their job,...

Objective: To compare physicians with workers in other fields on measures of self-valuation (SV) and determine the effect of adjusting for SV on the relationship between being a physician and risk for burnout. Patients and methods: A random sample of physicians from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile and a probability sample f...

Importance Poor work-life integration (WLI) occurs when career and personal responsibilities come in conflict and may contribute to the ongoing high rates of physician burnout. The characteristics associated with WLI are poorly understood. Objective To identify personal and professional factors associated with WLI in physicians and identify factor...

Objectives: To measure nurse-perceived electronic health records (EHR) usability with a standardized metric of technology usability and evaluate its association with professional burnout. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of a random sample of US nurses was conducted in November 2017. EHR usability was measured with the System Usability Scale (S...

Problem: Distress, depression, and burnout are common during medical training. Stigma surrounding seeking help for mental illness during medical training may involve fear of negative peer perceptions, academic jeopardy, and adverse future career consequences. Faculty disclosure of personal mental health illness may reduce stigma surrounding mental...

Background Data suggests the learning environment factors influence resident well-being. The authors conducted an assessment of how residents’ perceptions of faculty-resident relationships, faculty professional behaviors, and afforded autonomy related to resident burnout.Methods All residents at one organization were surveyed in 2019 using two item...

Background There has been limited research on the positive aspects of physician wellness and to our knowledge there have been no validity studies on measures of resilience and grit among internal medicine (IM) residents. Objectives To investigate the validity of resilience (10 items Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 10)) and grit (Short Gr...

Background: There is a high prevalence of burnout among health care professionals, but little remains known about burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration (WLI) among advance practice nurses (APNs). Purpose: To evaluate burnout and satisfaction with WLI among APNs compared with other US workers. Methods: A national sample of APNs an...

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between help-seeking concerns and attitudes and burnout among residents. Method: In 2019, all residents across the 4 Mayo Clinic sites were surveyed. The survey included 2 items from the Maslach Burnout Inventory, an item from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication about likelihood of seeking profession...

Background Cognitive task load can affect providers’ ability to perform their job well and may contribute to burnout. Methods The researchers evaluated whether task load, measured by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Task Load Index (TLX), correlated with burnout scores in a large national study of US physicians between Octo...

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between burnout and professional behaviors and beliefs among US nurses. Methods: We used data from 2256 nurses who completed a survey that included the Maslach Burnout Inventory and items exploring their professional conduct (documented something they had not done so they could 'close out' an encounter in...

Importance Stress among health care professionals is well documented. The use of mindfulness-based interventions to reduce stress has shown promising results; however, the time commitment of typical programs can be a barrier to successful implementation in health care settings. Objective To determine the efficacy and feasibility of a brief mindful...

Background Electronic health record (EHR) usability and physician task load both contribute to physician professional burnout. The association between perceived EHR usability and workload has not previously been studied at a national level. Better understanding these interactions could give further information as to the drivers of extraneous task l...

BACKGROUND Electronic health record (EHR) usability and physician task load both contribute to physician professional burnout. The association between perceived EHR usability and workload has not previously been studied at a national level. Better understanding these interactions could give further information as to the drivers of extraneous task l...

Importance Previous research suggests that the prevalence of occupational burnout varies by demographic characteristics, such as sex and age, but the association between physician race/ethnicity and occupational burnout is less well understood. Objective To investigate possible differences in occupational burnout, depressive symptoms, career satis...

Importance The prevalence of physician burnout is well documented, and resilience training has been proposed as an option to support physician well-being. However, the resilience of physicians compared with that of the US working population is not established, and the association between resilience and physician burnout is not well understood. Obj...

Background Well-being and distress are important issues in the pharmacist workforce; yet, there is limited evidence evaluating the validity of practical screening tools among pharmacists. Objectives To evaluate the ability of the Well-Being Index (WBI) to (1) identify the well-being and dimensions of distress in pharmacists, and (2) stratify pharm...

This cross-sectional survey assesses the association of perceived electronic health record usability with patient interaction and work-life integration among US physicians.

Objective: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged as a global pandemic in early 2020 with rapidly evolving approaches to diagnosing the clinical illness called coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The primary objective of this scoping review is to synthesize current research of the diagnostic accuracy of history, physical...

Purpose: To explore the relationship between residents' perceptions of residency program leadership team behaviors and resident burnout and satisfaction. Method: In February 2019, the authors surveyed all residents across the 77 graduate medical education training programs at Mayo Clinic's multiple sites. Survey items measured residents' percept...

Purpose: To explore the interaction between practice setting (academic practice [AP], private practice [PP]) and gender in relation to physician burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration (WLI). Method: In 2017, the authors administered a cross-sectional survey of U.S. physicians and characterized rates of burnout and satisfaction with...

Objective: To evaluate burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration among physician assistants (PAs) compared with other US workers. Methods: We surveyed PAs and a probability-based sample of US workers. The survey included the Maslach Burnout Inventory and an item on satisfaction with work-life integration. Results: Overall, 41.4% of P...

Purpose: To explore whether burnout is an independent predictor of career choice regret among nurses. Methods: In November 2017 we invited a random sample of 89,995 members of the American Nurses Association to participate in an anonymous online survey. The survey collected demographic and professional information and included the Maslach Burnou...

Objective To explore the relationship between immediate supervisor leadership behaviors and burnout and professional satisfaction of health care employees. Participants and Methods From October 2 to 20, 2017, we surveyed nonphysician health care employees. The survey included 2 items from the Maslach Burnout Inventory and items on their immediate...

Objective The choice of adjuvant treatment for women with stage II endometrial cancer is challenging, given the known increase in morbidity with external beam radiation compared with vaginal brachytherapy, and the lack of consensus on its benefits. We summarized the evidence on survival and recurrence for stage II endometrial cancer, defined as cer...

In Reply We appreciate the comments from Brock-Utne and Jaffe regarding our recently published study.¹ However, we disagree with the interpretation that are our results imply that physician burnout is being blamed on the personal failure of physicians that can be remedied by coaching. Mitigating the risk of burnout and helping those experiencing bu...

Background: Studies suggest a high prevalence of burnout among nurses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between burnout among nurses and absenteeism and work performance. Methods: A national sample of U.S. nurses was sent an anonymous, cross-sectional survey in 2016. The survey included items about demographics, fatigue, an...

Background Despite the importance of professionalism, little is known about how burnout relates to professionalism among practicing physicians. Objective To evaluate the relationship between burnout and professional behaviors and cost-conscious attitudes. Design and Participants Cross-sectional study in a national sample of physicians of whom a f...

Objective: To describe and benchmark physician-perceived electronic health record (EHR) usability as defined by a standardized metric of technology usability and evaluate the association with professional burnout among physicians. Participants and methods: This cross-sectional survey of US physicians from all specialty disciplines was conducted...

The Mayo Clinic Internal Medicine Board Review, Twelfth Edition, is the result of the dedicated efforts of Mayo Clinic physicians in multiple specialties whose primary mission is to put the needs of the patient first. The field of internal medicine is constantly changing as science is advanced, and this textbook was written to provide readers with...

The Mayo Clinic Internal Medicine Board Review, Twelfth Edition, is the result of the dedicated efforts of Mayo Clinic physicians in multiple specialties whose primary mission is to put the needs of the patient first. The field of internal medicine is constantly changing as science is advanced, and this textbook was written to provide readers with...

Importance Burnout symptoms among physicians are common and have potentially serious ramifications for physicians and their patients. Randomized studies testing interventions to address burnout have been uncommon. Objective To explore the effect of individualized coaching on the well-being of physicians. Design, Setting, and Participants A pilot...

Importance Burnout, a syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a decreased sense of efficacy, is common among resident physicians, and negative emotional states may increase the expression of prejudices, which are associated with racial disparities in health care. Whether racial bias varies by symptoms of burnout among...

Objectives: To evaluate characteristics associated with burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration (WLI) among nurses and compare their experience to other American workers. Methods: We used data from 8638 nurses and 5198 workers to evaluate factors associated with burnout and satisfaction with WLI, and compare nurses to workers in othe...

Background: The benefits of aerobic exercise are well-studied; there is no consensus on the association between resistance training and major adverse cardiovascular outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to address this issue. Design and methods: We searched for randomized trials and cohort studies that evaluated the associatio...

To the Editor The recently published Original Investigation by Dr Panagioti and colleagues¹ provides supportive evidence for concerning associations between physician burnout and a number of outcomes, including patient safety, professionalism, and patient satisfaction. The review is compelling, but we believe several clarifications are needed.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration among physicians and other US workers in 2017 compared with 2011 and 2014. Participants and methods: Between October 12, 2017, and March 15, 2018, we surveyed US physicians and a probability-based sample of the US working population using methods similar...

Background & aims: A higher proportion of female vs male patients receive a diagnosis of celiac disease. Little is known about sex-based differences in the prevalence of celiac disease in undiagnosed populations. We aimed to address this knowledge gap with a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and...

Background Clinicians’ satisfaction with encounter decision aids is an important component in facilitating implementation of these tools. We aimed to determine the impact of decision aids supporting shared decision making (SDM) during the clinical encounter on clinician outcomes. Methods We searched nine databases from inception to June 2017. Rand...

Background Bedside rounds (BR) have been proposed as an ideal method to promote patient-centred hospital care, but there is substantial variation in their implementation and effects. Our objectives were to describe the implementation of BR in hospital settings and determine their effect on patient-centred outcomes. Methods Data sources included Ov...