Physician Burnout

Abstract

Burnout is pervasive among physicians and is rapidly becoming a pandemic in healthcare. It is characterized by increasing demands without adequate support and hallmarked by depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. It is essential to address burnout, as it can lead to decreased productivity, increased healthcare costs, medical errors, workforce attrition, depression, and even suicide. Many factors contribute to burnout, and it occurs at all stages of medicine: it can begin during medical school, intensify during the years of graduate medical education (GME) or residency training, and persist as residents become staff physicians. It affects both sexes, but may impact female physicians disproportionately. Impact can also vary among specialties. Recognizing the problem and intervening with unified physician and organization-directed solutions centered on well-being, efficient practice models, and goal prioritization may help to reduce the prevalence and effects of burnout.

Doc’Apella: A Vocal Performance Group Designed to Reduce Stress And Prevent Burnout Among Medical and Health Sciences Students

“…The cardinal symptoms of burnout are emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and impaired sense of personal accomplishment induced by repeated stressors and may develop during undergraduate medical school training [5]. This phenomenon has been widely reported and linked to high rates of depression among physicians [6], deteriorating job performance and a loss of empathy for patients [5]. Although traditional stress management activities (i.e., meditation, journaling) to promote wellness among medical trainees are effective in reducing stress, Ziegelstein and colleagues suggest medical schools and residency programs address burnout by facilitating social engagement through structured opportunities to establish meaningful connections [7].…”

Introductory Chapter: A Quest to Transform Graduate Medical Education into a Seamless Journey toward Practice Readiness

“…One of ADFM's strategies is to equip residents with better wellness skills to manage stress and increase physician work/life satisfaction and joy of medicine as the demand for their services increases. A number of chapters in this book address the interrelated topics of physician burnout (by Connors et al [25]), wellness (by Lam et al [26] and Quiros et al [27]), and resident autonomy and graduated responsibility (by Cooper and Allen [28]), effectively acting as lighthouses for institutional leaders and residency program directors navigating the stormy seas of contemporary GME transformation. It is hoped that improved awareness and better knowledge will help facilitate the gradual transition in our collective mindset, moving away from "burnout" while pursuing "wellness" [29].…”

How a Medical Orchestra Cultivates Creativity, Joy, Empathy, and Connection

“…Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.Engaging Music Burnout, a common phenomenon among medical students and clinicians, is associated with depression, a decline in job performance and empathy, and elevated levels of salivary cortisol, a stress hormone. 1,2,3,4,5 Engaging in music and other creative activities can help manage symptoms of burnout by reducing levels of cortisol and fostering social bonding. 5,6,7,8 Inspired by research indicating that exposure to the humanities correlates with reduced burnout, 9 the Nebraska Medical Orchestra (NMO) was founded in 2018 with 55 members as a partnership between the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the…”