Between one-third and half of all nurses and doctors in the U.S. are feeling symptoms of burnout.
That’s according to a new report from the National Academy of Medicine. The findings are on par with other estimates, but the cost of burnout can be high—the national cost of physician burnout is $4.6 billion annually, according to one recent estimate.
Burnout is characterized by a variety of symptoms, from emotional exhaustion and detachment to a low sense of personal accomplishment, and the effects in healthcare professionals can be serious. Patient care quality suffers when doctors feel burned out, with an increased risk of medical mistakes.
There are also several causes of burnout that can make it more challenging to overcome and improve, and one specific element of healthcare has been found to be a contributor: electronic health records.
The National Academy of Medicine also outlined six steps for healthcare stakeholders to take in order to reduce burnout and boost professional well-being.
“The work system––including the physical environment, the technologies in use, and how care team members interact with each other––deeply influences clinicians’ professional well-being,” committee co-chair Pascale Carayon, Leon and Elizabeth Janssen professor and director of the Wisconsin Institute for Healthcare Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said in the report. “To provide the best patient care possible, healthcare organizations must create a work environment that fosters clinicians’ safety, health and sense of fulfillment.”
Here are the six ways healthcare systems should address burnout:
- Create positive work environments
- Address burnout in training in early career stages
- Reduce tasks that don’t improve patient care
- Improve usability and relevance of health IT
- Reduce stigma around and improve burnout recovery services
- Create a national research agenda on clinician well-being
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."