It is not uncommon for professionals in a variety of different career areas to experience some form of burnout, but the work of a physician can set up the perfect storm for it.
Burnout Physicians Treatment Study Syndrome Rate
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “burnout” as:
“exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration”
It is not uncommon for professionals in a variety of different career areas to experience some form of burnout, but the work of a physician can set up the perfect storm for it.
A physician’s long hours under normal circumstances (let alone during a widespread event like the coronavirus outbreak) can lead to physical exhaustion. The literal life and death stakes of their work can be extremely stressful. The fact that not all medical issues brought before them are going to follow the textbook and may inexplicably not improve with normal treatments is just one aspect of their work that can be frustrating. And delivering bad news to a patient and their loved ones can take an emotional toll.
Peter Grinspoon, M.D. is a contributor to Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health Blog and wrote for the blog a piece entitled “Physician burnout can affect your health.”
According to the piece, “A 2016 study published by the Mayo Clinic showed a high and increasing rate of physician burnout. Of the almost 7,000 physicians who responded to the survey, 54.4% ‘reported at least one symptom of burnout in 2014 compared with 45.5% in 2011.’” The piece also talks about how this burnout can impact a patient’s care, as well as health care costs, and how it can lead in some cases to substance abuse and suicide. In addition, the piece discusses address and treating physician burnout while fully acknowledging that this is a complex issue that does not have an easy solution.
To read the entire piece, visit https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/physician-burnout-can-affect-your-health-2018062214093
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