What is Physician Burnout (Doctor Burnout)?

Burnout has been around as long as people have been working. Jobs are stressful. And chronic stress takes its toll, causing people to feel exhausted, cynical, negative and ineffective. But lately more and more people are experiencing it. In fact, it’s now listed as an actual syndrome in the latest revision of the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11):

“Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: 1) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; 2) increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and 3) reduced professional efficacy. Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”

That’s right! The same handbook that categorizes diseases such as congestive heart failure, stomach ulcers and bronchitis now includes burnout!

And the physicians who diagnose and treat those disorders are now feeling burnout more than ever before. They’re stressed, exhausted and lacking empathy for the patients they’re supposed to be helping! It’s not hard to see why. In today’s healthcare system, doctors are dealing with long hours, increased bureaucratic tasks, incessant quality reports, ever-changing government regulations and of course those darn electronic health records (EHRs)!

And when doctors experience burnout, the repercussions can be severe. In fact, many people call physician burnout a public health crisis as it impairs patient safety and quality of care.

Physician Burnout Statistics

You’ve heard it all over the news. Doctors are burning out. It’s an epidemic. Multiple studies indicate roughly 50% of all physicians report burnout symptoms such as exhaustion, depression, dissatisfaction and a sense of ineffectiveness or failure. 

And it gets even more serious: one doctor a day commits suicide in the U.S., the highest rate of any profession and more than double the rate of the general population!

Want to look at the financial impact? Roughly $4.6 billion in costs (or $7,600 per physician) is attributable to burnout each year in the United States. And that’s a conservative estimate that considers only lost work hours and physician turnover! There are also medical errors (which are more common among burned out physicians), malpractice lawsuits and of course a reduction in both quality of care and patient satisfaction, which have indirect costs.