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Abstract
<p class="first" id="d15671747e88">Physician burnout, a work-related syndrome involving
emotional exhaustion, depersonalization
and a sense of reduced personal accomplishment, is prevalent internationally. Rates
of burnout symptoms that have been associated with adverse effects on patients, the
healthcare workforce, costs and physician health exceed 50% in studies of both physicians-in-training
and practicing physicians. This problem represents a public health crisis with negative
impacts on individual physicians, patients and healthcare organizations and systems.
Drivers of this epidemic are largely rooted within healthcare organizations and systems
and include excessive workloads, inefficient work processes, clerical burdens, work-home
conflicts, lack of input or control for physicians with respect to issues affecting
their work lives, organizational support structures and leadership culture. Individual
physician-level factors also play a role, with higher rates of burnout commonly reported
in female and younger physicians. Effective solutions align with these drivers. For
example, organizational efforts such as locally developed practice modifications and
increased support for clinical work have demonstrated benefits in reducing burnout.
Individually focused solutions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction and small-group
programmes to promote community, connectedness and meaning have also been shown to
be effective. Regardless of the specific approach taken, the problem of physician
burnout is best addressed when viewed as a shared responsibility of both healthcare
systems and individual physicians. Although our understanding of physician burnout
has advanced considerably in recent years, many gaps in our knowledge remain. Longitudinal
studies of burnout's effects and the impact of interventions on both burnout and its
effects are needed, as are studies of effective solutions implemented in combination.
For medicine to fulfil its mission for patients and for public health, all stakeholders
in healthcare delivery must work together to develop and implement effective remedies
for physician burnout.
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