Comparing burnout and work-life balance among specialists in internal medicine: the role of inpatient vs. outpatient workplace

BACKGROUND: Compared to the general population, physicians are more likely to experience increased burnout and lowered work-life balance. In our article, we want to analyze whether the workplace of a physician is associated with these outcomes. METHODS: In September 2019, physicians from various specialties answered a comprehensive questionnaire. We analyzed a subsample of 183 internists that were working full time, 51.4% were female. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed that internists working in an outpatient setting exhibit significantly higher WLB and more favorable scores on all three burnout dimensions. In the regression analysis, hospital-based physicians exhibited higher exhaustion, cynicism and total burnout score as well as lower WLB. CONCLUSIONS: Physician working at hospitals exhibit less favorable outcomes compared to their colleagues in outpatient settings. This could be a consequence of workplace-specific factors that could be targeted by interventions to improve physician mental health and subsequent patient care.