Burnout survey to examine 1M shift hours from physicians, including radiologists

Lightning Bolt Solutions, a company that specializes in AI-based physician shift scheduling technology, has announced a new one-year study that will evaluate one million physician shift hours as part of a larger effort to understand the root causes of physician burnout and find potential solutions.   

“We are focusing on ‘burning in’ to the deadly, damaging crisis of physician burnout with an epidemiological approach,” Suvas Vajracharya, PhD, founder and chief executive officer of Lightning Bolt Solutions, said in a prepared statement. “Our goal for this research is to shape how healthcare organizations build more balanced workplaces for physicians, helping to make medicine safer for everyone.” 

Physicians who have the company's mobile app can check their work schedule and answer a single-question survey about their overall wellness and symptoms of burnout they may be experiencing. For physicians who do report symptoms of high burnout, the app will provide access to a resource page curated by physicians.

As part of their newly launched Pathology of Burnout Initiative, the company is inviting physicians to privately submit their personal stories of burnout. The goal is to learn more about the physician burnout crisis and help other physicians with similar situations.  

Recent research has found that 45 percent of radiologists feel burned out or have feelings of emotional exhaustion, lack of personal accomplishment and depersonalization toward their work. For some, burnout can lead to clinical depression or suicidal thoughts.