Physician Burnout

Myth: Severe eating disorders don’t affect health care providers, or HCPs.

Breaking news and emerging research on the COVID-19 pandemic dominated headlines this year. However, there were other important updates that impact practice.

Although physician burnout is associated with increased medical errors, it is not associated with an increased risk for suicidal ideation after adjusting for depression, according to research published in JAMA Network Open.

Female physicians spent a median of 33.4 additional minutes daily — or more than three additional 40-hour work weeks annually — working on electronic health records than their male counterparts, researchers reported.

The pandemic has heightened the stress and burnout that health care providers experience, such that it is imperative to seek mental health care and, when needed, take difficult steps to protect colleagues’ well-being, according to a speaker.

Almost 1 in 5 physicians have experienced suicidal ideation in their lifetimes, a systematic review and meta-analysis in Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior showed.

For the last several months, health care workers have rightfully been hailed as heroes.

As the medical profession continues to advance and change, support – both from colleagues and organizations – may be key to reducing physician burnout, according to the director of the Stanford WellMD Center.

Physicians are facing considerable challenges in 2020 that could contribute to increased burnout, according to U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams, MD, MPH.

Studies have shown that among physicians in the fields surgery, obstetrics and anesthesiology, or SOA, women are more likely to experience emotional exhaustion, but men have higher rates of depersonalization.