Do surgeons' psychosocial working conditions achieve United Kingdom government standards?

Abstract Introduction Burnout is endemic among surgeons in the UK. Identification of contributory work characteristics could inform risk reduction activities. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which surgeons’ psychosocial working conditions met aspirational Management Standards delineated by the UK government. A secondary objective was to explore relations between the extent to which the Standards were met and burnout. Methods In 2021, trainee surgeons (n = 214) and consultant surgeons (n = 322) completed questionnaire measures of psychosocial working conditions and burnout. Descriptive data were computed for each Standard and hierarchical linear regression was applied to explore relations between the extent to which the Standards were met and burnout. Results Trainee surgeons reported significantly poorer psychosocial working conditions than consultant surgeons on the control, peer support, and change Standards. Trainees’ psychosocial working conditions fell below the 10th percentile on four Standards (control, managerial support, role, change) and below the 50th percentile on the remainder (demands, peer support, relationships) when compared to UK workforce norms. Consultant surgeons’ psychosocial working conditions were below the 50th percentile on five of the seven Standards. The Management Standards accounted for 35% of the variance in burnout over and above that accounted for by socio- and occupational-demographic characteristics. Conclusion Surgeons’ psychosocial working conditions were poor in comparison to normative data and strongly associated with burnout. These findings suggest that psychosocial risk management activities based on the Management Standards approach would help to reduce stress-related health problems in this population.