Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Burnout: Don’t blame the clinicians; blame the system

Anh Le, MD
Physician
May 14, 2018
1K Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Physician burnout is the depression of the medical world. We are aware of its presence and the detriment it can cause, but yet, we don’t really like to talk about it. The problem is, just like depression, if we don’t talk about it or seek to address it, it persists and leads to a number of unwanted outcomes including decreased productivity, decreased patient satisfaction, and increase in medical errors. And if you are one of those, who thinks this only occurs to a select few, I want you to rethink that. Most statistics suggest that 50 percent of physicians have experienced burnout at one time or another. Thus, you have more than likely already met a burnt out physician. That physician who was always pleasant, but now is receiving complaints from patients about their professionalism or behavior. The physician who was always vocal and passionate, but now you rarely hear a word from. And then there’s the physician who just seems tired and quite frankly, depressed. You have met one of us.

Maybe you didn’t put it all quite together at the time, but you have. It is a topic on the forefront of my mind in daily practice as a primary care provider and having experienced it firsthand; I have made increasing efforts over the last several months to push for acknowledgment of it as a problem that needs to be addressed.

What I find happens when the topic is brought up, however, is no one likes to talk about it. I get some nods, and people agree that it occurs within our healthcare system, but no one really wants to do anything about it. If anything, we allow our physicians to fester in their burnout until it leads to a poor patient outcome, a physician leaving medical practice or cutting down on hours, or at its worse, physician suicide before we take any action to improve physician wellness.

We need to make an effort to make it a widespread practice to look for signs of physician burnout before it becomes a problem. Models of how this can be done have been adopted by major healthcare institutions but have yet to reach a majority of physicians. We often times screen our patients for depression with scales such as the PHQ-9 at routine annual visits. Something similar should be done for physicians on an annual basis as well as education to help physicians to be aware of signs of burnout in themselves.

After we identify burnout and the extent of the problem, we next need to address it. What ways can we support physicians and at the same time support the “productivity” needs of hospital administrators? There needs to be a balance. Systems that work to improve workflow and lessen the burden of physician tasks will allow for better physician support and overall satisfaction. Other tactics that have been tried include the idea of “trading time.”

Perhaps clinical time is traded for non-clinical time such as committee time or volunteering efforts that bring awareness to the organization. This can help provide more meaning and fulfillment for a physician. Included in this, is also the idea of giving providers back “time” by helping them with support services at home. For instance, a pilot program at Stanford allowed physicians to trade in time spent on committees with in-home services such as cleaning and meal delivery.

We often hear that our medical system is broken. A large part of this is that our providers are broken. Until we start to make conscious efforts to put the pieces back together for our physicians, we will continue in this vicious cycle of provider dissatisfaction, poor clinical outcomes, and patient dissatisfaction. Furthermore, please don’t try to improve the situation solely by giving us methods to cope better or to be stronger individuals. Most times, it is not the individual that is the problem; it is the system. Besides, you probably realize by now, it is the strongest of us that often takes the biggest fall.

Anh Le is an internal medicine-pediatrics physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

What matters in an optimal consumer health care market

May 14, 2018 Kevin 1
…
Next

Beware of pseudoscience: The desperate need for physicians on social media

May 14, 2018 Kevin 33
…

Tagged as: Practice Management, Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
What matters in an optimal consumer health care market
Next Post >
Beware of pseudoscience: The desperate need for physicians on social media

More by Anh Le, MD

  • Another stab in the back for primary care during pandemic

    Anh Le, MD

Related Posts

  • Chasing numbers contributes to physician burnout

    DrizzleMD
  • A call to clinicians: Contrary to what you’ve been taught, use social media

    Joshua Mansour, MD
  • Physician burnout is as much a legal problem as it is a medical one

    Sharona Hoffman, JD
  • Despite physician burnout, medical schools are still hard to get into. Why is that?

    Suneel Dhand, MD
  • Who’s really to blame for the obesity epidemic?

    Peter Ubel, MD
  • GOOP and Gwyneth: Blame mainstream media

    Arthur L. Caplan, PhD and Timothy Caulfield, LLM

More in Physician

  • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • The Iranian diaspora’s fight for liberty: Overcoming challenges in the largest women’s rights movement of our century

    Montreh Tavakkoli, MD
  • The harmful effects of shaming patients for self-education

    Maryanna Barrett, MD
  • The power of self-appreciation: Why physicians need to start acknowledging their own contributions

    Wendy Schofer, MD
  • Skydiving and surgery: How one doctor translates high-stress training to saving lives

    Alexandra Kharazi, MD
  • Don’t be caught off guard: Read your malpractice policy today

    Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Laura Fortner, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Overcoming Parkinson’s: a journey of laughter and resilience

      Cynthia Poire Mathews, FNP | Conditions
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • Maximize sleep efficiency with stimulus control

      Pedram Navab, DO | Conditions
    • The Iranian diaspora’s fight for liberty: Overcoming challenges in the largest women’s rights movement of our century

      Montreh Tavakkoli, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 11 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • How This Doctor Found Purpose After a Devastating Injury
  • House Lawmakers Squabble Over HHS Budget
  • Infant Formula Crisis Exposed FDA and Industry Failings, Lawmakers Say
  • Building Vaccine Trust Among the General Public
  • Is It Business as Usual for the Drug Industry?

Meeting Coverage

  • Phase III Trials 'Hit a Home Run' in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
  • Cannabis Use Common in Post-Surgery Patients on Opioid Tapering
  • Less Abuse With Extended-Release Oxycodone, Poison Center Data Suggest
  • Novel Strategies Show Winning Potential in Ovarian Cancer
  • Children Do Well With Fewer Opiates After Surgery
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Overcoming Parkinson’s: a journey of laughter and resilience

      Cynthia Poire Mathews, FNP | Conditions
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • Maximize sleep efficiency with stimulus control

      Pedram Navab, DO | Conditions
    • The Iranian diaspora’s fight for liberty: Overcoming challenges in the largest women’s rights movement of our century

      Montreh Tavakkoli, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Burnout: Don’t blame the clinicians; blame the system
11 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...