Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Burnout in doctors and stressed physicians hurt patients

Kevin Pho, MD
Physician
August 25, 2010
Share
Tweet
Share

The following op-ed was published on July 18th, 2010 in USA Today.

A new patient recently said he was referred to me after his last doctor had left medicine. His old doctor always looked unhappy and burned out, he noted.

Burnout affects more than half of doctors, according to researchers at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. Beyond mere job dissatisfaction, these doctors are emotionally exhausted to the point where they lose focus. They tend to be more depressed — perhaps one reason why doctors have a higher suicide rate than the general population.

While burnout can happen in any profession, the performance of stressed-out doctors can hurt someone else: patients.

Studies show these doctors exhibit less empathy, which erodes the doctor-patient relationship. More ominous is how physician burnout can lead to medical mistakes. A Mayo Clinic study released last month found that burnout in surgeons correlated to a higher rate of major medical errors. That corroborated last year’s finding in The Journal of the American Medical Association of a similar effect among internal medicine doctors.

Overwhelmed

I see plenty of reasons why doctors are ending up this way. With the explosion of new treatment options and an expanding number of patient care guidelines, our responsibilities are increasing. It’s estimated that it would take 18 hours a day to provide all the recommended preventive and chronic care services to my patients. And that’s not counting the 20 telephone calls I return and 30 test results I review daily, which, as The New England Journal of Medicine reported in April, is typical of what other doctors like me face.

When the burden gets to be too much, doctors are simply walking away from the job. Recently, researchers from the American College of Physicians and the American Board of Internal Medicine found that one in six primary care doctors had left their field mid-career. More than 20% cited long hours and administrative hassles as reasons.

Finding answers

Physician training must begin to address burnout. Earlier this year, psychiatrists noted that 4% of entering medical residents were diagnosed with depression, a rate comparable to the public. But that percentage ballooned to 25% after a single year.

As Colin West, associate program director of the Mayo Clinic’s internal medicine training program, told The New York Times last October, “There has been a tendency in medicine to minimize our distress because our focus is supposed to be on the patient … but the distress in medical training right now is epidemic.”

Organizations that regulate resident physicians have sought to limit hospital work hours to mitigate fatigue. But dealing with stress and depression is just as important. Early identification and management can prevent at-risk doctors from continuing on a path toward burnout.

Practicing physicians should also be given the tools to ward off burnout. A pilot study at the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine last year found that teaching meditation and relaxation techniques resulted in less emotional exhaustion, and gains in patient empathy.

Stressed doctors who quit will be of no help to the more than 30 million newly insured patients in the coming years. Although health care reform has allocated resources to shore up primary care and train more providers to meet the new demand, little has been proposed to recognize and treat burned out physicians. These doctors, and their patients, deserve better.

Kevin Pho is an internal medicine physician and on the Board of Contributors at USA Today.  He is founder and editor of KevinMD.com, also on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

Doctors are often preferred to market a drug to other physicians

August 25, 2010 Kevin 7
…
Next

Tamoxifen for breast cancer prevention is not routinely used

August 25, 2010 Kevin 3
…

Tagged as: Patients, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Doctors are often preferred to market a drug to other physicians
Next Post >
Tamoxifen for breast cancer prevention is not routinely used

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Kevin Pho, MD

  • Surgeon General’s warning: the dark side of social media on children’s mental health

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Unmasking wage disparity in health care: the truth behind the Elmhurst Hospital physician strike

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Is FDA-approved Veozah a game-changer in menopause hot flash treatment?

    Kevin Pho, MD

More in Physician

  • Life’s detours may be blessings in disguise

    Osmund Agbo, MD
  • Inside the heart of internal medicine: Why we stay

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • The quiet grief behind hospital walls

    Aaron Grubner, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    How to advance workforce development through research mentorship and evidence-based management

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • The truth about perfection and identity in health care

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • Civil discourse as a leadership competency: the case for curiosity in medicine

    All Levels Leadership
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

      Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD | Physician
    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      GJ van Londen, MD | Meds
    • Why your most heroic act might be in a department meeting [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why your most heroic act might be in a department meeting [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Life’s detours may be blessings in disguise

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Inside the heart of internal medicine: Why we stay

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • The quiet grief behind hospital walls

      Aaron Grubner, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

      AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section | Policy

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 4 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

      Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD | Physician
    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      GJ van Londen, MD | Meds
    • Why your most heroic act might be in a department meeting [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why your most heroic act might be in a department meeting [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Life’s detours may be blessings in disguise

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Inside the heart of internal medicine: Why we stay

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • The quiet grief behind hospital walls

      Aaron Grubner, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

      AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section | Policy

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Burnout in doctors and stressed physicians hurt patients
4 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...