03/06/2018    

HEALTHCARE NEWS

One-third of Physicians at Major U.S. Hospital are 'Burned Out'

 

At a large U.S. non-profit academic medical center, one-third of physicians met criteria for burnout, a cross-sectional study found. In all, 1,528 physicians at the Cleveland Clinic Health System were surveyed with the medical personnel version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Of the 1,145 respondents (mean age, 50), 399 (35%) had scores indicating overall burnout. About 38% of the respondents were in internal or family medicine, with the rest spread among 11 specialties, according to the February 19 online report in JAMA Internal Medicine.

 

“Physicians who give more to patients during clinical encounters may find themselves emotionally depleted,” the authors write. “(R)outine assessment of burnout by healthcare organizations is warranted to identify the need for additional individual and organizational support.” The 35% burnout rate among respondents was “pretty similar to other institutions measured at or around the same time frame, if not a bit lower,” first author Dr. Amy K. Windover of the Cleveland Clinic told Reuters Health by email. “While the prevalence was equivalent to or even lower than other institutions, it signals the need for systemic change in the healthcare industry.” 

 

Source: Scott Baltic, MDLinx via Reuters Health News [2/27/18]