• Hilary Sanfey, John Fromson, John Mellinger, Jan Rakinic, Michael Williams, and Betsy Williams.
• Department of Surgery, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL. Electronic address: hsanfey@siumed.edu.
• J. Am. Coll. Surg. 2015 Aug 1; 221 (2): 621-7.

BackgroundPhysician burnout is associated with diminished ability to practice with requisite skill and safety. Physicians are often reluctant to seek help for an impaired colleague or for impairment that affects their own ability to practice. To better support surgeons in difficulty, we explored sex differences in assistance-seeking behaviors under stress.Study DesignSurgeons in 3 national societies completed an IRB-approved anonymous multiple-choice and free-text response survey. Responses were explored with the general linear model using item-specific continuous and categorical methods.Study DesignTwo hundred and twelve surgeons (n = 79 [37.3%] male, n = 133 [63%] female) responded. Although men and women worked similar hours (p > 0.05), women worked more clinical (p < 0.01) and fewer administrative hours (p < 0.01) in later age (F = 7.88; degrees of freedom [df] 4/145; p < 0.01). Women were less satisfied with work-life balance, as identified by aggregate variables related to emotional/decisional partnership, non-work-related chore support, and personal fulfillment (F = 15.29; df 3/16; p < 0.01), but change jobs less frequently (F = 4.23; df 1/201; p < 0.05). Males are more likely to seek help from colleagues (chi-square 107.5; p < 0.01) or friends (chi-square 123.8; p < 0.01) and women are more likely to seek support from professional counselors (chi-square 146.8; p < 0.01). Almost one-third of surgeons would ignore behaviors that adversely impact well being and could result in potential personal or patient safety.ConclusionsThe differences between the assistance-seeking and reporting behaviors of male and female surgeons in distress could have implications for identification and treatment of this population. These findings can be used to develop educational activities to teach surgeons how to effectively handle these challenging situations.Copyright © 2015 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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