Physical pain a risk factor for vascular surgery trainee burnout, survey reveals

Arecent survey has indicated that physical pain is “prevalent” among vascular surgery trainees and represents a risk factor for burnout. Eric Pillado, MD, MBA, a vascular surgery resident at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, shared this conclusion during yesterday afternoon’s second SVS-VESS Scientific Session.

Pillado detailed that 527 trainees completed a confidential, voluntary survey, administered after the Vascular Surgery In-Training Examination (VSITE), representing an 82.2% response rate. He revealed that 38% reported moderate-tosevere discomfort/pain after a full day of working, among whom 73.6% reported using ergonomic adjustments and 67% over-the-counter medications. Pillado also communicated that more women tended to report moderate-to-severe pain than men (44.3% vs. 34.5%, p<0.01).

After adjusting for gender, training level,