Physician Burnout on the Rise Save

Burnout among U.S. doctors affects more than half of practicing physicians, according to a new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. (Citation source http://buff.ly/1RpV8Q0)

In 2011, 46% of U.S. doctors experienced at least one symptom of burnout. In 2014, this number has grown to 54%. Compared to the average U.S. worker, physicians are twice as likely to suffer from burnout.

6,880 doctors responded to the 2014 survey, about 47 percent reported high emotional exhaustion, about 35 percent felt depersonalized or saw less value in their work and about 16 percent felt a low level of personal accomplishment.

Burnout rates topped 60 percent for several disciplines, including emergency medicine, family medicine, urology, rehabilitation and radiology. Compared to 2011 numbers, substantial 2014 increases in burnout were seen in family medicine (51.3% vs 63.0), general pediatrics (35.3% vs 46.3%), urology (41.2% vs 63.6%), orthopedic surgery (48.3% vs 59.6%), dermatology (31.8% vs 56.5%), physical medicine and rehabilitation (47.4% vs 63.3%), pathology (37.6% vs 52.5%), radiology (47.7% vs 61.4%), and general surgery subspecialties (42.4% vs 52.7%. Rheumatologists were not surveyed or studied in this study.

Despite no increase in the number of hours worked, only 41 percent of all doctors said they were satisfied with the balance between their work and personal lives, which is down from 49 percent in 2011.  The authors point out three factors that drive such burnout - loss of autonomy, mental exhaustion and "asymmetrical rewards" - meaning that success is barely acknowledged while mistakes come with heavy punishments.

In 2008, I surveyed 448 US rheumatologists about practice trends. At that time, change was a common theme. Their answers included 20% who planned to see fewer patients, 18% fewer consults, 26% stop seeing fibromyalgia patients, 34% intended to add a new partner or 31% were going to install a new EMR.   Surprisingly only 4% were planning to retire, but in recent years, it's likely this has risen substantially.

Many physicians are seeking work options for their futures. It's unclear whether the alternatives will change this burnout trend.