Practicing medicine is an incredible privilege. Our rigorous training allows us to combine science and compassion to heal and support patients through both challenging and healthy times. However, this privilege often comes with significant challenges, such as burnout and other struggles. Many doctors feel burdened by the time spent on electronic health records, drowning in documentation for nearly six hours for every eight hours of patient-care time.
This overwhelming task load is compounded by workforce shortages and directly affects patient care. Initiatives like the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act have provided essential support to address this issue. Named in honor of an emergency room physician who tragically took her own life in 2020 after battling COVID-19 and depression, the act allowed the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to direct over more than $100 million over three years toward reducing burnout and fostering mental health and wellness among health care workers.
The act initially received bipartisan support and has already proven effective in delivering resources that tackle burnout. Regrettably, it was not included in a larger, year-end funding package. Health care professionals deserve ongoing support because addressing physician burnout requires more than words of encouragement; genuine funding and structural changes are essential.
Pep talks about resilience will not magic away burnout if we do not want health care organizations to lose the progress they have made in mitigating it, such as suicide prevention programs. These programs have become essential and will need even more attention in light of a new JAMA Psychiatry investigative paper that found that the burnout rate is higher for physicians than for the general population, and the suicide rate for female physicians is higher than that of both the general population and male physicians.
Burnout affects us all. Health care systems feel its economic effects through high turnover, recruitment costs, and early retirements. While we may not immediately see how burnout impacts our care, patients experience the effects through our emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased sense of achievement. Physicians reporting signs of burnout often have lower patient satisfaction scores and are twice as likely to make medical errors.
Health care leaders must not lose focus; burnout is at its lowest level since a COVID-related spike in 2021 but is felt throughout all medical specialties and practice settings. Some grapple with anxiety and depression that brings us the highest suicide rate of any profession, with only about 15 percent seeking help.
How can we prepare colleagues and future doctors to manage their burnout and assist others? These questions have been humbling for me to answer, both personally and as a health care leader. My family has patiently watched me struggle and sometimes fail at it.
I have learned the hard way to combat these lows by closely monitoring my feelings and how I use my non-working hours. My most restorative time off is physical, not intellectual. I ensure that my family, friends, and religious community receive a large share of my time, attention, and love. I have sought roles that align with my calling—sometimes at a cost more than made up by “soul benefit”—and inspiring mentors and continuing education opportunities that expand my skills. These strategies, akin to managing a chronic condition with medication, require consistent practice and support from compassionate colleagues.
Still, the main driver of burnout is administrative tasks not centered on patients. Health systems must invest in care models that reduce hassles so physicians can prioritize clinical work and experience professional purpose.
We can invest in technology and redesign processes so physicians can focus on diagnosing, treating, and healing. Knowing that physicians who spend at least 20 percent of the week.) on their work passions are at lower risk for burnout, my department works toward a supportive environment, helping physicians and trainees identify where those interests meet departmental needs.
We need to create cultures and processes that make it possible to take time off with better coverage, attend trainings, and develop goals that align with our roles and values. Spending vacation time checking our inboxes contaminates restoration and erodes our empathy.
Our health system has adopted Stress First Aid, an organizational peer support and self-care model used to alleviate stress reactions in a stigma-free environment. Also called psychological first aid, the goal of the program is to offer safety, stability, and resources immediately after a stressful or life-threatening event so health care workers can cope with trauma. As of this writing, more than 25,000 of our health care workers have completed this training. The health system’s Physicians’ Resource Network and Employee and Family Assistance Program offer free and confidential collaborative counseling to assist staff with stress reduction, burnout prevention, and anger management skills.
Like so much in medicine, facing burnout is a practice that requires consistent resources, attention, and compassion. We need to ensure that programs like these can continue, ultimately honoring the memory of doctors like Lorna Breen.
John Q. Young is a psychiatrist and physician executive.
