--- title: "Primary care MD burnout and pt-reported care experiences. | Sutter Health" description: "Physician burnout adversely affects patient-provider communication in primary care visits. Improving MD work environments could have an impact on pt experience." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/primary-care-md-burnout-and-pt-reported-care-experiences-1055312771" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Research](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research) / 3. [Research publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications) / 4. Primary care MD burnout and pt-reported care experiences. # The relationship between primary care physician burnout and patient-reported care experiences: a cross-sectional study. Chung S, Dillon EC, Meehan AE, Nordgren R, & Frosch DL. _J Gen Intern Med. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-05770-w. \[Epub ahead of print\]._ 2020-03-23 ## Abstract BACKGROUND: Primary care physician (PCP) burnout is prevalent and on the rise. Physician burnout may negatively affect patient experience of care. OBJECTIVE: To identify the direct impact of PCP burnout on patient experience in various domains of care. DESIGN: A cross-sectional observational study using physician well-being (PWB) surveys collected in 2016-2017, linked to responses from patient experience of care surveys. Patient demographics and practice characteristics were derived from the electronic health record. Linked data were analyzed at the physician level. SETTING: A large non-profit multi-specialty ambulatory healthcare organization in northern California. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 244 physicians practicing internal medicine or family medicine who responded to the PWB survey (response rate 72%), and 30,701 completed experience surveys from patients seeing these physicians. MEASUREMENTS: Burnout was measured with a validated single-item question with a 5-point scale ranging from (1) enjoy work to (5) completely burned out and seeking help. Patient experience of patient-provider communication, access, and overall rating of provider was measured with Clinician & Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CG-CAHPS) survey. Patient experience scores (0-100 scale) were adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and English proficiency. RESULTS: Physician burnout had a negative impact on patient-reported experience of patient-provider communication but not on access or overall rating of providers. A one-level increase in burnout was associated with 0.43 decrease in adjusted patient-provider communication experience score (P < 0.01). LIMITATIONS: Data came from a single large healthcare organization. Patterns may differ for small- and mid-sized practices. CONCLUSION: Physician burnout adversely affects patient-provider communication in primary care visits. Efforts to improve physician work environments could have a meaningful positive impact on patient experience as well as physician well-being. [PubMed abstract](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32206992) ## Research topics - [Health Services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Health+Services%5C%22%22) - [Medical Informatics](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Medical+Informatics%5C%22%22) - [Mental Health](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Mental+Health%5C%22%22) - [Prevention and Health Maintenance](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Prevention+and+Health+Maintenance%5C%22%22) ## Related publications [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) - Publication ### [Using electronic health record data to measure care quality for individuals with multiple chronic medical conditions.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/ehr-care-quality-pts-mccs-1055312497) Bayliss EA, McQuillan DB, Ellis JL, Maciejewski ML, Zeng C, Barton MB, Boyd CM, Fortin M, Ling SM, Tai-Seale M, Ralston JD, Ritchie CS, Zulman DM. J Am Geriatr Soc. doi: 10.1111/jgs.14248. \[Epub ahead of print\] 2016 Jul 07 - Publication ### [Developing a health care intermediary-delivered intervention to promote an online health information resource: results from formative research](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/intervention-promote-online-health-info-resource-1055312295) Li J, Quinn J, Rico CL, Noguera AC, Silbajoris C, Brown JD, McDuffee D. J Consum Health Internet. 2010;14(4):369-381. 2010 Nov 25 - Publication ### [Serious mental illness and health-related factors associated with regional emergency department utilization.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/serious-mental-illness-and-regional-er-use-1055312801) Azar KMJ, Petersen JP, Shen Z, Nasrallah C, Pesa J, LaMori J, Pressman A. Popul Health Manag. doi: 10.1089/pop.2019.0161. \[Epub ahead of print\] 2019 Dec 09 - Publication ### [Balancing digital information-sharing and patient privacy when engaging families in the intensive care unit.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/digital-info-sharing-pt-privacy-families-icu-1055312450) Brown SM, Aboumatar HJ, Francis L, Halamka J, Rozenblum R, Rubin E, Sarnoff Lee B, Sugarman J, Turner K, Vorwaller M, Frosch DL; Privacy, Access, and Engagement Task Force of the Libretto Consortium of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. J Am Med Inform Assoc. pii: ocv182. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocv182. \[Epub ahead of print\] 2016 Mar 16 - Publication ### [Physicians’ well-being linked to in-basket messages generated by algorithms In EHRs.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/md-wellbeing-in-basket-messages-from-ehr-algorithms-1055312708) Tai-Seale M, Dillon EC, Yang Y, Nordgren R, Steinberg R, Nauenberg T, Lee TC, Meehan A, Li J, Chan AS, Frosch D. Health Aff. 38(7): https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05509. 2019 Jul 01 [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/primary-care-md-burnout-and-pt-reported-care-experiences-1055312771#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Research publications","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Primary care MD burnout and pt-reported care experiences."}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalScholarlyArticle","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/primary-care-md-burnout-and-pt-reported-care-experiences-1055312771#medicalscholarlyarticle","name":"The relationship between primary care physician burnout and patient-reported care experiences: a cross-sectional study.","headline":"Primary care MD burnout and pt-reported care experiences.","abstract":"BACKGROUND: Primary care physician (PCP) burnout is prevalent and on the rise. Physician burnout may negatively affect patient experience of care. OBJECTIVE: To identify the direct impact of PCP burnout on patient experience in various domains of care. DESIGN: A cross-sectional observational study using physician well-being (PWB) surveys collected in 2016-2017, linked to responses from patient experience of care surveys. Patient demographics and practice characteristics were derived from the electronic health record. Linked data were analyzed at the physician level. SETTING: A large non-profit multi-specialty ambulatory healthcare organization in northern California. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 244 physicians practicing internal medicine or family medicine who responded to the PWB survey (response rate 72%), and 30,701 completed experience surveys from patients seeing these physicians. MEASUREMENTS: Burnout was measured with a validated single-item question with a 5-point scale ranging from (1) enjoy work to (5) completely burned out and seeking help. Patient experience of patient-provider communication, access, and overall rating of provider was measured with Clinician & Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CG-CAHPS) survey. Patient experience scores (0-100 scale) were adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and English proficiency. RESULTS: Physician burnout had a negative impact on patient-reported experience of patient-provider communication but not on access or overall rating of providers. A one-level increase in burnout was associated with 0.43 decrease in adjusted patient-provider communication experience score (P \u003c 0.01). LIMITATIONS: Data came from a single large healthcare organization. Patterns may differ for small- and mid-sized practices. CONCLUSION: Physician burnout adversely affects patient-provider communication in primary care visits. Efforts to improve physician work environments could have a meaningful positive impact on patient experience as well as physician well-being.","description":"Physician burnout adversely affects patient-provider communication in primary care visits. 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