The Impact of a Commensality Intervention on Physician Burnout

Abstract

Commensality, the act of eating together, when organized around facilitated discussion is an evidence-based intervention that can promote engagement and reduce physician burnout. The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptance, and impact of a commensality intervention for physicians. The Commensality Intervention was based on a Mayo Clinic model that consisted of 6, 2-hour dinner meetings at local restaurants over 6 months with facilitated discussion. Seven physicians participated, with controls matched by specialty and career stage. All completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Areas of Worklife Survey (MBI/AWS) at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Results were analyzed using Mann-Whitney tests for comparison of intervention group members to controls. At baseline, 4 of 7 in the intervention group and 3 of 7 controls met criteria for burnout. At 6 months, MBI improved in all dimensions: emotional exhaustion (EE) 24.3 to 17.2; depersonalization (DP) 7.1 to 5.1; personal accomplishment (PA) 40.0 to 43.3. Improvement in EE was significantly greater for intervention group members vs. controls (P=.015). Similarly, every AWS dimension (except reward) improved in the intervention group, with significant improvements in Workload (P=.012), Control (P=.027), and Community (P=.039). At 12 months, improvements in EE (21.6), DP (5.3) and PA (42.7) persisted but were attenuated, with none of the MBI/AWS changes from baseline statistically significant. Findings suggest significant improvements in physician burnout following the intervention, with attenuation at 12-months. Results will be used to support the broader implementation of commensality within the group practice.

Keywords: Commensality; burnout; facilitated discussion.