PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
A Very Real , Very Expensive Outcome .
Physician Burnout
By Gregory Sanders , MD
Physician burnout is real and prevalent . According to the U . S . News & World Report , 54 percent of doctors in this country meet criteria consistent with burnout . So , what exactly is physician burnout and how can we detect it early ?
While it is easy to recognize blatant exhaustion , burnout symptoms can also be more indirect . We have all encountered doctors who become cynical towards medicine and the medical system in general , and in my opinion , this is the first early sign that burnout is coming . An overall negative attitude starts during training , where harmless complaining eases the burden of a grueling residency or fellowship program , and seems to bond us together like soldiers . But is it harmless ? The first few years beyond training are sheltered from burnout due to financial rewards and a newfound self-rule which has been finally realized after a decade of education . As the years pass , frustration with practicing in a heavily regulated environment starts to sink in . So , what do we do ? Well , we tend to revert back to our old coping mechanisms , and vent to partners and colleagues . We gripe about all sorts of issues ranging from declining reimbursements to clunky electronic health records to hospital politics .
It is important to mention that physicians in an academic or hospital-employed model complain about different issues than doctors in private practice . There is substantial overlap but employed physicians tend to be frustrated with hospital administrators and loss of professional autonomy , while physicians in their own practice are challenged by reimbursements , healthcare policy , and addressing their competition .
The common theme at the root of dissatisfaction and eventual burnout is that external forces are disrupting physician workflow and impacting success ( financial and professional ). Doctors have spent decades training under the regime of delayed gratification , so once out in the world they want to practice their way and do not tolerate micromanagement . An ever-increasing workload with less financial reward has not helped the situation .
37 TODAY ’ S PRACTICE : CHANGING THE BUSINESS OF MEDICINE