Acknowledging burnout can open discussion for improvement

Editor's Note

Viral misinformation, novel technologies, fears of litigation, and productivity metrics have crippled physicians' sense of well-being, according to a professor of medicine and a pulmonologist in an opinion article published November 16 in MedPage Today.

He cited data on burnout noting that almost half of all physicians experience symptoms of burnout and only 12% would choose the profession again. But he also said it can be valuable to open communication about clinician burnout and acknowledge the gap between the perception and the reality of how the healthcare system functions today, per the article.

 Healthcare system fixes such as general wellness initiatives are often “too limited and arrive too late for a profession that still prizes stoicism and silent suffering," he suggested. However, he acknowledged that burnout can be a way forward if clinicians can use it to look honestly at how they want to live and work.