A national study of burnout and spiritual health in UK general practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the burnout and spiritual health of general practitioners (GPs) in the United Kingdom (UK) who worked during the Covid-19 Pandemic. DESIGN: Online survey, April/May 2021, distributed via emails to general practices, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), Health boards, Clinical Research Networks, professional groups, social media GP groups and networks. SETTING: United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS: 1318 GPs who had worked in the National Health Service (NHS) during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 –May 2021). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Burnout scores, measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) for Medical Personnel; spiritual health, measured using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy—Spiritual Well-Being, Non-Illness (FACIT-SP-NI). RESULTS: 19% of surveyed GPs were at the highest risk for burnout, using accepted MBI ‘cut off’ levels. There was no evidence of a difference in burnout by gender, ethnicity, or length of service. GP burnout was associated with GP spiritual health, regardless of identification with a religion. GPs with low spiritual health were five times more likely to be in the highest risk group for burnout. CONCLUSIONS: Burnout is at crisis levels amongst GPs in the UK NHS. A comprehensive response is required, identifying protective and precipitating factors for burnout. The potentially protective impact of spiritual health merits further investigation.