We produced a crosswalk mapping raw MBI subscale scores to scaled scores and response profiles calibrated in a US physician sample. Each subscale assessed the majority of sample score ranges with ≥ 0.70 reliability. At the commonly used EE and DP cut-points of 27 and 10, respectively, a physician was unlikely to endorse feeling burned out or any DP symptoms once weekly or more.

The average US physician was likely to endorse feeling he/she is emotionally drained, used up, frustrated, and working too hard and all PA indicators once weekly or more but was unlikely to endorse feeling any DP symptoms once weekly or more. Response profiles were mapped to raw subscale scores and used to predict symptom endorsements at mean scores and commonly used cut-points. Using item response theory (IRT) analyses of secondary, cross-sectional survey data, we created response profiles describing the probability of burnout symptoms associated with US physicians’ MBI emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA) subscale scores.

We described the burnout symptoms and precision associated with MBI scores in US physicians. Current US health policy discussions regarding physician burnout have largely been informed by studies employing the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) yet, there is little in the literature focused on interpreting MBI scores.

Maslach burnout inventory