Objectives: Meaning at work has been proposed as one of the key drivers of professional burnout in healthcare, but few studies have simultaneously measured this relation.
Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis of 1637 individuals at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, burnout was measured using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory work-related subscale.
Results: Meaningful work was measured using items adapted from the Work as Meaning Inventory. The prevalence of work-related burnout increased with each level of diminished meaning at work. From the highest ("always") to the lowest ("never") level of meaning at work, the prevalence of burnout was: 13, 26, 57, 84, and 94%, respectively.
Conclusions: Work-related burnout was inversely proportional to reported meaning at work in an academic medical center.