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Introduction: Physician burnout has been alarmingly high, particularly among general internal medicine, which displays some of the highest rates. A recent study of academic hospitalists reported a higher level of burnout (62%) than the rates found in similar studies, but with agreement about factors leading to burnout, consequences of burnout, and importance of steps to prevent burnout. This study seeks to expand upon these results by investigating the impact of COVID-19 on burnout among hospitalists and uncovering the perspectives of frontline clinicians to formulate effective mitigation strategies., Methods: Academic hospitalists were recruited to participate in a series of focus group interviews. The questions focused on contributors to burnout, the impact of COVID-19, and strategies to improve wellness and reduce burnout. The focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded for emergent themes using Taguette, an open-source qualitative data analysis software., Results: Burnout-inducing themes included workload, bureaucratic hurdles, and lack of control. COVID-19-specific themes included fear of exposing family and social isolation. The most common mitigation strategy was to increase social interactions to foster a sense of community. Additional solutions included adhering to a census cap of patients, streamlining clinical work, and providing avenues for two-way communication between leadership and clinicians to share concerns and elicit feedback., Conclusions: Streamlining clinical work allows more time for patient care. Enhancing community and fostering collaboration in decision-making allows clinicians to feel more empowered. A crucial first step to combat burnout is to encourage a work environment that values clinician well-being and proactively works to increase job satisfaction., (Copyright© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.)

Introduction: There is a paucity of data on burnout among academic hospitalists in Wisconsin., Objective/methods: To evaluate perceptions on burnout among academic hospitalists at an academic center in Wisconsin, a survey was distributed to academic hospitalists at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Questions addressed job satisfaction, factors contributing to burnout and its consequences, and various preventive steps. A section was included for respondents to provide any additional comments., Results: Out of 52 academic hospitalists surveyed, 43 (83%) responded. Sixty-two percent of participants reported feeling burnout. Burnout rates did not differ by gender (males vs females, 58% vs 73%, respectively; P   = 0.65), career length as a hospitalist ( P  = 0.28), or satisfaction as a hospitalist ( P  = 0.11). High patient census (94%) and unrealistic workload (83%) were the most commonly cited factors for burnout. Possible consequences of burnout included lack of enthusiasm (95%) and mental exhaustion (93%). A majority of respondents (81%) indicated that high clinical demands interfered with their ability to teach medical students. Improving the structure of work (88%) and incorporating respect, care, and compassion as a group culture (88%) were the most common themes reported to prevent burnout., Conclusion: This study shows a high prevalence of burnout among academic hospitalists and highlights various opportunities to reduce burnout risk., (Copyright© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.)

Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires all residents participate in scholarly activity during residency. Case reports provide trainees an opportunity to engage in scholarly activities. This study assesses internal medicine residents' perceived benefits of writing and presenting case reports and barriers to this process., Methods: A survey was disseminated to internal medicine residents at a tertiary academic center. The survey questionnaire aimed to assess residents' perceptions about benefits and barriers to writing and presenting case reports. Responses were obtained on a 5-point Likert scale, and the data were analyzed as respective frequencies and percentages., Results: Forty-three (34%) of the 125 eligible internal medicine residents completed the survey. Fifty-eight percent reported never having presented a case report. Ninety-six percent believed that finding an interesting case was an important factor in facilitating writing a case report, while 81% perceived finding a good mentor as equally important. Perceived barriers to case report writing included lack of training in reviewing scientific literature (59%), lack of adequate time (58%), lack of formal training in identifying and writing case reports (56%), and lack of a mentor (54%)., Conclusions: Our study showed that the majority of residents had not written or presented case reports. While case reports provide a myriad of educational value, various barriers exist that include lack of proper training, adequate time, and a mentor. Our findings suggest that additional institutional resources should be dedicated to designing a curriculum to address these perceived barriers., (Copyright© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.)