Physician burnout rates jumped in 2021 after 6-year decline

Key takeaways

• New research published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings revealed that the rate of physician burnout in the United States jumped during the first 2 years of the pandemic. In 2020, the burnout rate was under 40%. In 2021, the rate increased to more than 60%.
• The data also show that mean scores for depression increased by about 6% and satisfaction with work-life integration decreased from 46.1% in 2020 to 30.2% in 2021.

The physician burnout rate “spiked dramatically” during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the importance of mitigation efforts, according to the AMA.

“While the worst days of COVID-19 pandemic are hopefully behind us, there is an urgent need to attend to physicians who put everything into our nation’s response to COVID-19, too often at the expense of their own well-being,” AMA President Jack Resneck Jr., MD, said in a press release.

Physician burnout had been on a 6-year period of decline in the U.S. until 2020, according to the AMA. At the end of 2021, however, the burnout rate jumped to new heights. The data were published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

“The sober findings from the new research demand urgent action as outlined in the AMA’s Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians, which focuses on supporting physicians, removing obstacles and burdens that interfere with patient care, and prioritizing physician well-being as essential requirements to achieving national health goals,” Resneck said in the release.

Previous research from the AMA, Mayo Clinic and Stanford Medicine found that the overall prevalence of burnout over time has fluctuated:

• 45.5% in 2011;

• 54.4% in 2014;

• 43.9% in 2017;

• 38.2% in 2020; and

• 62.8% in 2021.

However, the studies “consistently demonstrated that the overall prevalence of occupational burnout among physicians were higher relative to the U.S. workforce,” according to the release.

The research also revealed that mean scores for depression increased by 6.1% and satisfaction with work-life integration decreased from 46.1% in 2020 to 30.2% in 2021 (P < .001). Similarly, mean depersonalization and emotional exhaustion scores were higher than the previous surveys; depersonalization scores were 60.7% higher than in 2020, and mean emotional exhaustion scores were 38.6% higher.

“Differences in mean depression scores were modest suggesting the increase in physician distress was overwhelmingly work-related,” the researchers wrote. “Given the association of physician burnout with quality of care, turnover and reductions in work effort, these findings have profound implications for the U.S. health care system.”

Considering the urgency of the issue and how the pandemic has exacerbated stress, the AMA said it has several resources for physicians, such as the Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program — which “recognizes health systems with a demonstrated commitment to pursue proven strategies that reduce work-related burnout among care teams” — and the Debunking Regulatory Myths series that “provides physicians and their care teams with resources to reduce guesswork and administrative burdens and focus on streamlining clinical workflow processes, improving patient outcomes and increasing physician satisfaction.”

References:

• Physician burnout rate spikes to new height. https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/physician-burnout-rate-spikes-new-height. Published Sept. 15, 2022. Accessed Sept. 27, 2022.
• Shanafelt TD, et al. Mayo Clin Proc. 2022;doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2022.09.002.