The Impact of Organizational Leadership on Physician Burnout and Satisfaction

NCT04896307 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 20200431-01H
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 383
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Physician burnout is a global issue characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low levels of personal accomplishment. Recent evidence suggests that organization-directed interventions were more likely to lead to reductions in burnout when compared to physician-directed interventions. More specifically, the leadership behaviors of the direct physician supervisor play a critical role in the well-being of physicians they supervise. As such, the aims of this project are: 1) To improve our understanding of the prevalence of burnout and professional satisfaction of physicians working at the Ottawa Hospital (TOH), and 2) To evaluate the relationship between the leadership qualities of direct physician supervisors (i.e. Division and Department Heads) and the well-being and burnout of their physicians. Specifically, a cross-sectional survey will be completed by physicians at TOH to assess their levels of burnout and satisfaction and the leadership qualities of their direct physician supervisors.

Conditions

Burnout, Professional; Satisfaction; Leadership

Keywords

burnout; satisfaction; organizational leadership; survey

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• 2-item Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)

  Burnout will be assessed by the 2-item version of the MBI.

  Baseline

• Satisfaction Questionnaire

  Overall satisfaction with TOH as a health care organization will be evaluated with the following question, rated on a 5-point Likert scale from "very satisfied" to "very dissatisfied": "Considering everything, how would you rate your overall satisfaction with TOH as a whole at the present time?"

  Baseline

• 12-Item Participatory Management Leadership Index

  This validated questionnaire assesses the opinion of the leadership qualities of the physician's immediate supervisor. The 12 items assess specific characteristics of leadership that are measurable and actionable. Participants will also be asked to rate their overall satisfaction with their immediate supervisor on a 5-point Likert scale from "very satisfied" to "very dissatisfied".

  Baseline

Study Arms (1)

Physicians at The Ottawa Hospital

Online survey completed by physicians working at The Ottawa Hospital consisting of the 2-item Maslach Burnout Inventory, a Satisfaction Questionnaire and the 12-Item Participatory Management Leadership Score.

Other: Survey

Interventions

Survey OTHER

Survey

Physicians at The Ottawa Hospital

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

All physicians working at The Ottawa Hospital

You may qualify if:

• all physicians working at The Ottawa Hospital

You may not qualify if:

• none

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Ottawa: lead
• The Ottawa Hospital: collaborator
• The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The Ottawa Hospital

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Location

Related Publications (18)

• Maslach C, Jackson SE, Leiter MP. Maslach burnout inventory manual. Vol 4: Consulting psychologists press Palo Alto, CA; 1996.

  BACKGROUND

• Linzer M, Visser MR, Oort FJ, Smets EM, McMurray JE, de Haes HC; Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) Career Satisfaction Study Group (CSSG). Predicting and preventing physician burnout: results from the United States and the Netherlands. Am J Med. 2001 Aug;111(2):170-5. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9343(01)00814-2. No abstract available.

  PMID: 11498074 BACKGROUND

• Schaufeli WB, Leiter MP, Maslach C. Burnout: 35 years of research and practice. Career development international. 2009;14(3):204-220.

  BACKGROUND

• Klein J, Grosse Frie K, Blum K, von dem Knesebeck O. Burnout and perceived quality of care among German clinicians in surgery. Int J Qual Health Care. 2010 Dec;22(6):525-30. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzq056. Epub 2010 Oct 8.

  PMID: 20935011 BACKGROUND

• Panagopoulou E, Montgomery A, Benos A. Burnout in internal medicine physicians: Differences between residents and specialists. Eur J Intern Med. 2006 May;17(3):195-200. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2005.11.013.

  PMID: 16618453 BACKGROUND

• Arigoni F, Bovier PA, Sappino AP. Trend of burnout among Swiss doctors. Swiss Med Wkly. 2010 Aug 9;140:w13070. doi: 10.4414/smw.2010.13070. eCollection 2010.

  PMID: 20809437 BACKGROUND

• Canadian Medical Association. CMA National Physician Health Survey - A National Snapshot. October 2018.

  BACKGROUND

• Weng HC, Hung CM, Liu YT, Cheng YJ, Yen CY, Chang CC, Huang CK. Associations between emotional intelligence and doctor burnout, job satisfaction and patient satisfaction. Med Educ. 2011 Aug;45(8):835-42. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2011.03985.x.

  PMID: 21752080 BACKGROUND

• Bianchi R, Schonfeld IS, Laurent E. Burnout-depression overlap: a review. Clin Psychol Rev. 2015 Mar;36:28-41. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2015.01.004. Epub 2015 Jan 17.

  PMID: 25638755 BACKGROUND

• Dewa CS, Loong D, Bonato S, Thanh NX, Jacobs P. How does burnout affect physician productivity? A systematic literature review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2014 Jul 28;14:325. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-14-325.

  PMID: 25066375 BACKGROUND

• Dewa CS, Jacobs P, Thanh NX, Loong D. An estimate of the cost of burnout on early retirement and reduction in clinical hours of practicing physicians in Canada. BMC Health Serv Res. 2014 Jun 13;14:254. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-14-254.

  PMID: 24927847 BACKGROUND

• Shanafelt TD, Mungo M, Schmitgen J, Storz KA, Reeves D, Hayes SN, Sloan JA, Swensen SJ, Buskirk SJ. Longitudinal Study Evaluating the Association Between Physician Burnout and Changes in Professional Work Effort. Mayo Clin Proc. 2016 Apr;91(4):422-31. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.02.001.

  PMID: 27046522 BACKGROUND

• Collier R. Physician burnout a major concern. CMAJ. 2017 Oct 2;189(39):E1236-E1237. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.1095496. No abstract available.

  PMID: 28970264 BACKGROUND

• Panagioti M, Panagopoulou E, Bower P, Lewith G, Kontopantelis E, Chew-Graham C, Dawson S, van Marwijk H, Geraghty K, Esmail A. Controlled Interventions to Reduce Burnout in Physicians: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2017 Feb 1;177(2):195-205. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.7674.

  PMID: 27918798 BACKGROUND

• Williams ES, Manwell LB, Konrad TR, Linzer M. The relationship of organizational culture, stress, satisfaction, and burnout with physician-reported error and suboptimal patient care: results from the MEMO study. Health Care Manage Rev. 2007 Jul-Sep;32(3):203-12. doi: 10.1097/01.HMR.0000281626.28363.59.

  PMID: 17666991 BACKGROUND

• Shanafelt TD, Gorringe G, Menaker R, Storz KA, Reeves D, Buskirk SJ, Sloan JA, Swensen SJ. Impact of organizational leadership on physician burnout and satisfaction. Mayo Clin Proc. 2015 Apr;90(4):432-40. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.01.012. Epub 2015 Mar 18.

  PMID: 25796117 BACKGROUND

• West CP, Dyrbye LN, Shanafelt TD. Physician burnout: contributors, consequences and solutions. J Intern Med. 2018 Jun;283(6):516-529. doi: 10.1111/joim.12752. Epub 2018 Mar 24.

  PMID: 29505159 BACKGROUND

• Spilg EG, McNeill K, Dodd-Moher M, Dobransky JS, Sabri E, Maniate JM, Gartke KA. Physician Leadership and Its Effect on Physician Burnout and Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Healthc Leadersh. 2025 Feb 27;17:49-61. doi: 10.2147/JHL.S487849. eCollection 2025.

  PMID: 40034467 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Burnout, Professional; Personal Satisfaction; Burnout, Psychological

Interventions

Surveys and Questionnaires

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Occupational Stress; Occupational Diseases; Stress, Psychological; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Officials

• Edward Spilg, MBChB

  University of Ottawa

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 14, 2021
• First Posted: May 21, 2021
• Study Start: May 17, 2021
• Primary Completion: February 21, 2022
• Study Completion: February 21, 2022
• Last Updated: June 1, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)