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The joy of surgery: how surgeons experience joy, time, and support

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Abstract

Background

Burnout is a crisis in medicine, and especially in surgery it has serious implications not only for physician well-being but also for patient outcomes. This study builds on previous SAGES Reimagining the Practice of Surgery Task Force work to better understand how organizations might intervene to increase the “joy in surgery.”

Methods

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study utilizing a REDCap survey with closed-ended questions for data collection across 5 domains: facilitators of joy, support for best work, time for work tasks, barriers to joy, and what they would do with more time. We calculated average scores and “percentage of respondents giving a high score” for each item.

Results

There were 307 individuals who started the survey; 223 completed it and were surgeons who met the inclusion criteria. The majority (85.7%) were trained in general surgery, regardless of sub-specialty. Surgeons found joy in operating and its technical skills, curing disease, patient relationships, and working with a good team. They reported usually having what they needed to deliver care. A majority felt valued and respected. Most were dissatisfied with reimbursement, perceiving it as unfair. The most commonly worked range of hours was 51–70 per week. They reported having little time for paperwork and documentation, and if they had more time, they would spend it with friends and family.

Conclusion

Organizations should consider interventions to address the operative environment, provide appropriate staff support, and foster good teamwork. They can also consider interventions that alleviate time pressures and administrative burden while at the same time promoting sustainable workloads.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge all members of the SAGES RPS Task Force for their expert feedback in the development of the survey.

Funding

This work was funded in part by a grant from the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Liane S. Feldman and Horacio Asbun should be considered joint senior author.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Population Health and Surgery, University of Kansas School of Medicine- Salina Campus, 138 N Santa Fe Ave, Salina, KS, 67401, USA

    Dorothy Hughes

  2. Department of Surgery, Guelph General Hospital, Guelph, ON, Canada

    Melissa N. Hanson

  3. Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Adnan Alseidi

  4. Department of Surgery, Trinity Health of New England, Hartford, CT, USA

    James G. Bittner IV

  5. Department of Surgery, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School – Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA, USA

    John Romanelli

  6. Steinberg-Bernstein Centre for Minimally Invasive Surgery and Innovation, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Melina Vassiliou & Liane S. Feldman

  7. Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Miami Cancer Institute, Miami, FL, USA

    Horacio Asbun

Authors
  1. Dorothy Hughes
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  2. Melissa N. Hanson
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  4. James G. Bittner IV
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  5. John Romanelli
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  6. Melina Vassiliou
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  7. Liane S. Feldman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dorothy Hughes.

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Disclosures

Dr. Dorothy Hughes received a grant from the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) for time and expenses relevant to this study, paid to the University of Kansas School of Medicine Department of Population Health. Dr. Melissa Hanson has no conflicts of interest relevant to this work to disclose. Dr. Adnan Alseidi reports he is a Board Member of SAGES. Dr. James G. Bittner IV has no conflicts of interest or financial ties to disclose. Dr. John Romanelli reports he is a Board Member of SAGES. Dr. Melina Vassiliou reports she is a Board Member of SAGES. Dr. Liane Feldman reports she is a Board Member of SAGES. Dr. Horacio Asbun reports he is a Board Member of SAGES.

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Hughes, D., Hanson, M.N., Alseidi, A. et al. The joy of surgery: how surgeons experience joy, time, and support. Surg Endosc 38, 3494–3502 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-024-10961-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-024-10961-1

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