Here’s what you need to know:
1. The symptoms of physician burnout include physical and emotional exhaustion; tendency to evaluate one’s own work negatively; and the development of a negative attitude toward one’s patients. The risk factors include consistently working under high stress, operating in a chaotic practice and having poor work-life balance.
2. Fifty percent of anesthesiologists reported experiencing physician burnout this past year, an increase from a 44 percent physician burnout rate for anesthesiology in 2015, according to the Medscape Lifestyle Report 2016.
3. This increase in burnout rates has been seen across medical specialties. Mr. Mira suggests this trend may reflect additional burdens placed on physicians, for example, the growing burden of reporting quality measures.
4. Recent research has found that physician burnout negatively affects clinical quality. A study published in Psychiatric Services reported that 58 percent of physicians described burnout as reducing their energy, patience and communication skills. A study out of the Mayo Clinic concluded that burnout is negatively correlated with professional work effort.
5. Mr. Mira concludes by discussing an American Medical Association program developed by Mark Linzer, MD, called Steps Forward. It recommends seven steps to combat physician burnout, including starting a wellness committee, distributing an annual wellness survey and developing data-driven wellness interventions.
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