If your visit is in an ER, an ICU, or a family practice or ob/gyn office, chances are about 50/50 that your doctor would report at least one of these signs of burnout. These four specialties top the list; least likely to have burnout are pathologists and psychiatrists (though still over 30%).
We know the effects of burnout on the doctor: increased rates of suicide and divorce, for example, but what about the effects on the care that they provide? Worse because they just don't care enough to go the extra mile; or better because they are better able to empathize with patient who are experiencing similar feelings?
Many experts fear the former, as the American health care system is strained by increasing patient loads with Obamacare and the difficulty that medical schools face in replacing retiring physicians
I think it's interesting that psychiatrists don't have a higher percentage; I would have guessed the opposite.
ReplyDeleteI agree, they often deal with unsolvable problems, and many of their patients are high risk for suicide. But on the other hand, maybe they have applied to themselves the stress-reduction strategies they teach their patients.
ReplyDeleteIt has been interesting to see that same problem of physician 'burnout' here at school, where those doctors are not only treating patients but also training/impacting the attitudes of medical students.
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