A 2-Question Summative Score Correlates with the Maslach Burnout Inventory

West J Emerg Med. 2020 Apr 21;21(3):610-617. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2020.2.45139.

Abstract

Introduction: There is a high prevalence of burnout among emergency medicine (EM) residents. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) is a widely used tool to measure burnout. The objective of this study was to compare the MBI-HSS and a two-question tool to determine burnout in the EM resident population.

Methods: Based on data from the 2017 National Emergency Medicine Resident Wellness Survey study, we determined the correlation between two single-item questions with their respective MBI subscales and the full MBI-HSS. We then compared a 2-Question Summative Score to the full MBI-HSS with respect to primary, more restrictive, and more inclusive definitions of burnout previously reported in the literature.

Results: Of 1,522 residents who completed the survey 37.0% reported "I feel burned out from my work," and 47.1% reported "I have become more callous toward people since I took this job" once a week or more (each item >3 on a scale of 0-6). A 2-Question Summative Score totaling >3 correlated most closely with the primary definition of burnout (Spearman's rho 0.65 [95% confidence interval 0.62-0.68]). Using the summative score, 77.7% of residents were identified as burned out, compared to 76.1% using the full MBI-HSS, with a sensitivity and specificity of 93.6% and 73.0%, respectively.

Conclusion: An abbreviated 2-Question Summative Score correlates well with the full MBI-HSS tool in assessing EM resident physician burnout and could be considered a rapid screening tool to identify at-risk residents experiencing burnout.

MeSH terms

  • Burnout, Professional / diagnosis*
  • Burnout, Professional / epidemiology
  • Burnout, Professional / etiology
  • Emergency Medicine / education*
  • Health Status Indicators*
  • Health Surveys
  • Humans
  • Internship and Residency*
  • Mass Screening
  • Physicians / psychology*
  • Prevalence
  • Psychological Tests*
  • Risk Assessment
  • Self Report
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Students, Medical / psychology*
  • United States / epidemiology