Comparison of embryologist stress, fatigue, and burnout currently reported by U.K. And U.S. Embryologists

Murphy, Anar, Lapczynski, Mark S., Proctor, Glenn, Glynn, Timothy R., Domar, Alice D., Gameiro, Sofia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2496-2004, Palmer, Giles A. and Collins, Michael G. 2023. Comparison of embryologist stress, fatigue, and burnout currently reported by U.K. And U.S. Embryologists. Fertility and Sterility 120 (4 Supp) , e265. 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2023.08.779

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE To compare for the first time (1) the prevalence of stress, fatigue, and burnout among U.S. and U.K. embryologists; and (2) the current workflow and organizational characteristics of the embryology laboratory locally and how they affect embryologists’ physical and psychological health in the two independently conducted and previously reported surveys. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional web-based survey was sent to 487 embryologists working in U.S.-licensed ART/IVF public and private clinics in April 2022 and 253 embryologists working in Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA)–licensed U.K. ART/IVF public and private clinics in January 2023. Respondents self-reported their burnout and stress levels, physical health status, and work conditions they perceived as occupational using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15), a single-item work unit grade (A–F), and a customized occupational questionnaire. Weighted percentages for the reported physical and mental health components were calculated using univariate statistics; their means between the two groups were compared using Welch’s t-test and one-way ANOVA. RESULTS In total, 50.2% of the U.K. embryologists (mean age 34.4 years; 87% women; 83% with a graduate degree) and 50.5% of the U.S. embryologists (mean age 40.1 years; 65% women; 57% with a graduate degree) completed the survey; 93% of the U.K. v. 76% of the U.S. embryologists had a permanent contract, and 93% v. 80% of them, respectively, worked in the laboratories with ≥5 persons. Of those, 59% of the U.K. and 62% of the U.S. embryologists reported high burnout on the exhaustion dimension (P < 0.05). However, only 43% of the U.K. embryologists scored high on the cynicism dimension v. 68% of their U.S. colleagues (P < 0.05). The PSS showed moderate perceived stress (P > 0.05), and the PHQ-15 showed low somatic symptom severity (P > 0.05) in both groups. Regarding organizational characteristics, although 81% and 80% of U.K. and U.S. embryologists, respectively, reported working overtime, more U.K. embryologists reported being adequately compensated for working overtime/holidays/weekends and better scheduling flexibility than their U.S. colleagues. Although only 58% U.K. embryologists found themselves doing double work due to a lack of technology integrations and analog records v. 72% of their U.S. colleagues, half of the respondents in both groups reported cryostorage-related anxiety. CONCLUSIONS Both U.K. and U.S. embryologists reported low somatic symptom severity, moderate perceived stress, high levels of burnout, and stressful working conditions that negatively affect their well-being and may adversely affect the quality of their work but with differences in their organizational and employment characteristics.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/, Start Date: 2024-10-06
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0015-0282
Last Modified:	09 Oct 2023 12:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/163069

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