Physician burnout has become more apparent in the last few years. Reasons for it include the requirement to use computerized medical records that are not user friendly, take an inordinate amount time away from direct patient contact, and produce large amounts of data but limited information. Other reasons include increasing regulatory demands, loss of autonomy, rising administrative burdens, and an increasing workload with decreasing compensation.
It should be apparent that physician burnout is a concern for doctors, but why should anyone else care? One reason is that physicians who are burned out make more medical errors, come to the office late more often, and leave the practice of medicine early. Another reason is that research in the field of positive psychology shows that happy physicians make correct diagnoses 19% more often than unhappy ones. Happy doctors are also more likely to arrive at a correct diagnosis more quickly.
Also, more physicians are working for large health systems since private practice has become too complex and too expensive for many doctors. Too often, they are treated as a commodity instead of the highly trained, intelligent, and motivated professionals that they are. As physicians burn out, they may leave employment. Replacement costs are significant, and every dollar spent for recruitment are not available for patient care.
Many physicians say they are so unhappy practicing medicine now that they actively discourage their children from going into medicine. Others leave clinical practice altogether. If we want enough doctors for the future, burnout is a concern for us all.
Peter M. Hartmann, MD
