Thesis
Assessing burnout in providers using telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic
University of Iowa
Master of Science (MS), University of Iowa
Spring 2023
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007097
Abstract
Burnout prevalence rates have been notably increasing, and leading members of the healthcare community began to call for change in 2019. Immediately following this call for action, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed the workflows and demands for healthcare providers. This study aims to assess the prevalence of burnout in the telemedicine healthcare community, and better understand how the growing use of telemedicine can impact workplace stress.
Providers in urgent care clinics were invited to participate in a survey. The survey captured demographic information and assessed burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (n = 32). Correlation analyses were conducted on participant demographics and burnout dimension scores. Follow-up interviews were conducted with a subset of providers (n = 9) who participated in the survey. Follow-up interviews provided insights on the contributing and mediating factors of telemedicine in provider burnout. These findings were organized using the Job Demands- Resources framework. Insights from the interviews were compared to findings from literature to identify any overlaps and/or gaps in the general perceptions of telemedicine, as well as inform future research efforts.
The findings from this study provide technology- and organizational-level recommendations to protect providers using telemedicine from increased risk of burnout. The contributing and mediating factors identified and categorized in this study also provide a framework to understand the risks telemedicine can pose on workplace well-being. Future research recommendations include the need for more mixed methods studies, providing not only qualitative insights on burnout dimensions, but also better quantification of burnout dimensions to effectively design intervention and implementation strategies.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Assessing burnout in providers using telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Creators
- Valerie Boksa
- Contributors
- Priyadarshini Pennathur (Advisor)Nathan Fethke (Committee Member)Arunkumar Pennathur (Committee Member)Laura Cullen (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (MS), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Industrial Engineering
- Date degree season
- Spring 2023
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007097
- Number of pages
- ix, 56 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2023 Valerie Boksa
- Grants
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 04/07/2023
- Date approved
- 06/30/2023
- Description illustrations
- illustrations, tables
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 46-51).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
- Rates of burnout in the healthcare profession have been on the rise, with reports in 2019 calling for action and change. Considering the severe demands on healthcare workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the drastic change in workflows due to the widespread adoption of telemedicine, it is important to capture current levels of provider burnout and draw their insights on how telemedicine impacts workplace stress. Insights from this study provide design recommendations for the use and integration of telemedicine in healthcare systems to best support provider wellbeing and protect against burnout. A literature review was conducted to synthesize the current state of research at the intersection of burnout, telemedicine, and COVID-19. A demographic survey and validated burnout assessment tool were administered to providers who provided care in Urgent Care clinics using telemedicine. Survey findings were analyzed to assess burnout prevalence and to identify correlations between demographics and burnout assessment scores. Providers also had the opportunity to participate in follow-up interviews that captured the positive and negative impacts of telemedicine on their work. The literature review pointed to a dearth of research intersecting burnout, telemedicine, and the pandemic, as very few articles used empirical methods to systematically study this topic. Survey results found that 25% of the respondents experienced one or more manifestations of burnout. Responses from the follow-up interviews were categorized as contributing and mediating factors of telemedicine on burnout, which were then compared to literature findings. The most cited contributing factor in interviews was the added demand of difficult patient cases that were inappropriate for telemedicine visits. The most cited mediating factor was the increase in Patient Experience and appreciation for this service. Findings from this work will help healthcare organizations gain a systems-oriented perspective on how best to support providers using telemedicine and enhance provider well-being by strengthening burnout-mediating factors and addressing burnout-contributing factors.
- Academic Unit
- Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984425200002771
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