Exploring Burnout Impacting Academic Faculty and Leadership within Healthcare: A Scoping Review

This scoping review aims to synthesize and provide an overview of burnout and the contributing factors among graduate-level medical and allied health science educators in the U.S. while identifying key priorities for future research.

A scoping review approach was selected as a knowledge synthesis method, designed to address exploratory research questions by mapping key concepts, evidence types, and gaps within a specific area. The review protocol, outlining the methods used, was registered with the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/xbkz2).

Studies were selected based on specific criteria: they had to focus on graduate-level medical and allied health professions educators in the U.S., include a valid and reliable measure of burnout, and be published in English. The review adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.

A total of 24 studies involving 15,514 participants met the eligibility criteria. High emotional exhaustion was the most prevalent burnout subcategory among faculty and academic leaders. The "high burnout" rate among faculty ranged from 15% to 31%, while for administrative leaders, it varied from 3% to 31%, depending on the study. Institutional support emerged as a critical factor in preventing burnout, with effective measures including control over the work environment and workload, finding meaning in work, setting boundaries to protect time for family, receiving adequate administrative support, and having mentorship opportunities.

This is the first scoping review to examine burnout's extent and contributing factors among academic clinicians in health professions and physicians, including those in leadership roles. The study highlights this population's significant prevalence of burnout, particularly emotional exhaustion. Addressing burnout will require workplace culture changes that focus on the well-being of healthcare faculty and leaders. Additionally, more research is needed to address burnout among allied health professionals to better understand their unique challenges and develop targeted interventions.

This scoping review underscores the widespread prevalence of burnout and shows that most predictive factors are tied to institutional influences rather than individual traits. The findings highlight the critical role of university and institutional leadership in developing strategies to enhance the well-being of health professions faculty and academic leaders. These insights add to the growing literature emphasizing the need for organizational initiatives to address burnout, particularly in supporting the wellness of faculty and leadership in allied health programs. Prioritizing such efforts can foster a healthier work environment and improve faculty retention and productivity.