Physician burnout has improved over the last 5 years
A lower percentage of physicians reported they were burned out compared to five years ago, according to a new survey from Medscape. Burnout, which is defined as job-related stress characterized by feelings of detachment, exhaustion, cynicism and a lack of personal accomplishment, fell to 42% in the most recent survey, compared to 46% five years ago.
The Medscape survey compared how different generations respond to and experience pressures, comparing millennials, Generation X and baby boomers. Medscape received responses from more than 15,000 physicians in over 29 specialties.
Some physician specialties were more likely to feel burnout than others. Here are the top specialties with the highest rates of burnout:
- Urology––54%
- Neurology––50%
- Nephrology––49%
- Diabetes and endocrinology––46%
- Family medicine––46%
- Radiology––46%
- OB/GYN––46%
- Rheumatology––46%
While the overall percentage has declined slightly, burnout has generally remained high among healthcare professionals. And detrimental impacts are associated with doctor burnout, including medical mistakes and even patient death, as well as potentially impacting the looming physician shortage if doctors quit the field.
Across the three generations in the survey, Gen X experienced the most burnout (48%), followed by baby boomers (39%) and millennials (38%). That signifies that the highest rates of burnout occur mid-career for physicians. That time period could also be one where physicians are juggling several roles outside of work, such as caring for children or elderly parents, Carol Bernstein, MD, vice chair for faculty development and well-being at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, told Medscape.
This may be truer for women, who experienced more burnout compared to men––48% vs. 37%, respectively.
Boomers were more likely to say burnout had a strong or severe impact on their lives (50%), compared to Gen X (46%) and millennials (36%).
The impact of administrative and bureaucratic tasks on burnout has been documented before, but it was also the most selected contributor to burnout in Medscape’s survey, with 55% of physicians identifying these tasks, such as charting and paperwork. In addition, spending too many hours at work (33%), lack of respect from administrators, employers, colleagues or staff (32%) and increasing computerization of practice with EHRs (30%) were other significant contributors to burnout. These top concerns were consistent across all three generations.
See the full survey here.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."