Study: Burnout of US doctors at an alarming rate

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed strains on an already overwhelmed US healthcare system, with burnout rates among doctors rising to alarming levels, according to recent research.

More than 60 percent of physicians experienced at least one symptom of burnout in 2021, an increase from 44 percent in 2017 and 54 percent in 2014, according to a nationwide study published in a peer-reviewed journal, Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Burnout among physicians has been associated with higher rates of alcohol abuse and suicidal ideation, as well as increased medical errors and worse patient outcomes.

Fewer physicians reported being satisfied with their careers than before the pandemic. Only 30 percent said their work schedule gave them enough time for their personal and family life, down from 46.1 percent who said the same in 2020, according to the study whose researchers had conducted similar surveys in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2020.

The study surveyed 2,440 US physicians between December 2021 and January 2022 to assess their feelings of burnout, depression, work-life integration and professional fulfillment.

Mental health diagnoses like depression sometimes are correlated with physician burnout, Jonathan Ripp, chief wellness officer at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told China Daily.

Physician burnout may affect how the overall care is delivered, he said. "It may impact the quality of care. For example, we have concerns it could lead to increased medical errors," he said.

Experts are also predicting a shortage of physicians because they are leaving or planning to leave due to burnout.

"That is a very big concern right now with the so-called 'great resignation' where we're seeing dramatic numbers, not just doctors, but other healthcare professionals leaving healthcare," Ripp said.

"It's concerning because we may not have enough healthcare providers for all of the population, but it also creates increased stress for the folks that remain behind –it's the same amount of work, but there are fewer people to do it," he said.

The Mayo Clinic's study has scope limitations. There are about one million practicing physicians in the US, and the study gained about 2,500 responses through sending mass emails. Factors such as needing an outlet to express frustration or not having time to complete a survey can complicate the survey result about burnout.

Overall, Colin West, a physician at the Mayo Clinic and one of the study's authors, told The New York Times that data was necessary to understand the prevalence of burnout and how to combat it.

In May 2022, the US Surgeon General issued a first-ever advisory to address the health worker burnout crisis across the country. The advisory points out that healthcare workers have been experiencing burnout and resignations.

"Health workers, including physicians, nurses, community and public health workers, nurse aides, among others, have long faced systemic challenges in the health care system even before the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to crisis levels of burnout," the advisory said.

Physician burnout was already an issue before the pandemic. The systems within which healthcare providers practice contributes to one of the reasons driving physician burnout.

Increasing requirements and regulatory burdens on the healthcare system are compromising the efficiency of the way healthcare is delivered, Ripp said.

"You have doctors who are doing all kinds of work that they shouldn't be doing. Whether it's helping to arrange with rescheduling appointments or transportation to appointments or ordering various supplies, [when] other members of the team could more efficiently do that and leave the doctors to do the more meaningful aspects of the work," he said.

The pandemic further exacerbated burnout for health workers. In July 2021, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a study showing that more than 50 percent of public health workers have reported symptoms of at least one mental health condition, such as anxiety, depression, and increased levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).