The epidemic levels of physicians reporting burnout dropped modestly in 2017, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, the Mayo Clinic and the American Medical Association.
“Physicians remain at increased risk for burnout relative to workers in other fields, but there is some good news,” said Tait Shanafelt, MD, director of Stanford’s WellMD Center and a national leader in the movement to improve physician well-being. “For the first time, we’re seeing improvement in the prevalence of burnout symptoms in physicians nationally.”
Burnout decreased and satisfaction with work-life integration improved between 2014 and 2017, according to the study. Still, levels of burnout remain markedly higher than in other fields. About 44 percent of physicians reported at least one symptom of burnout, and only about 43 percent reported satisfaction with their work-life integration, which was less than in 2011.
The study was published online Feb. 22 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Shanafelt, who is also a professor of hematology and the Jeanie and Stew Ritchie Professor, is the lead author. Lotte Dyrbye, MD, co-director of the Mayo Clinic physician well-being program, is the senior author.
Read more at Stanford Medicine
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