The effect of social network structure on the spread and existence of burnout in medical residents

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between physician well-being and characteristics of their social network. However, due to an extremely low-response rate, no conclusions were made. The survey was sent out to 323 surgical residents at the University of Michigan and had an 8% completion rate, with only 28% of the residents opening the survey link. We were able to note survey fatigue, survey format, the study’s context, the nature of network data, and a generally short timeline as main sources of failure. Despite this low response rate, researchers were still able to explore reasons as to why understanding residency experiences through a more holistic lens is important. The literature review also revealed theories such as network convergence that could prove useful in the future of studying residencies as social networks. Despite these faults, this thesis still explores the potential advantages of using network analysis to study the deeply social nature of burnout.