Burnout, depression and anxiety have been a growing problem in the healthcare sector. In fact, it is now a crisis.

Today, nearly half (49%) of healthcare workers report they are at a breaking point, according to the 2022 State of Mental Health: American Healthcare Workers Report released by All Points North earlier this week.

How bad is it? Approximately 21 percent of physicians report consuming drugs or alcohol “multiple times per day,” and 14 percent admit to consuming them while at work.

Burnout in the Healthcare Sector

In the past year, burnout has increased to unprecedented levels. In a Medscape survey released in January 2022 nearly half of physicians (47%) reported that they were burned out.

In just one year, burnout among emergency physicians increased from 43% to 60%. Physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists, family medicine practitioners, infectious disease experts, OBGYNs and critical care physicians all presented with numbers between 50 and 56 percent. Least affected were those in public health and preventive medicine, dermatology, pathology, oncology, orthopedics, otolaryngology and psychiatry, which were all between 26 and 38 percent).

The top reasons for burnout include:

• paperwork and other bureaucratic tasks,

• a lack of respect in the workplace, from employers, administrators, colleagues and patients,

• long hours,

• a feeling of lack of control.

Of all the many causes of burnout, COVID-19 barely made the list. 

A Vicious Cycle

Few clinicians are as open with their employers and peers about burnout as they are with the surveys. Most see the stress already on their coworkers and will suffer in silence rather than taking time off until they can’t resist it anymore.

This tends to contribute to contagions. Negative moods, depression and anxiety rubs off on peers and patients alike. And when overworked staff do take time off or call in sick, this puts more strain on their colleagues’ schedules, adversely affecting their mental health.

Patients are involved as well, as longer wait times and less-than-pleasant encounters with healthcare workers puts them in poor moods, which rubs off on the next physician, nurse or orderly they encounter. 

There are few respites, as many professionals report that their home life is just as stressful. Over half of the respondents to the Medscape survey reported that burnout was having a strong-to-severe impact on their personal lives. It results in increased fatigue and irritability, a lack of motivation, impatience, and worries about finances. Most healthcare professionals are not in a situation where quitting, or even taking a lengthy sabbatical is today financially possible.

Are You at Risk of Burnout?

Burnout is not, of course, a medical diagnosis. Yet, most experts describe it as either a form of depression or closely related to depression. The Mayo Clinic describes burnout with symptoms such as:

• increased cynicism at work

• decreased motivation in going to work

• irritability or impatience with those you work with

• lack of energy in being consistently productive

• difficulty concentrating

• lack of satisfaction in achievements

• feelings of disillusionment

• using food, drugs or alcohol to change moods

• changes in sleep habits or patterns

• unexplained headaches, digestive problems or other physical ailments.

Dealing With Job Burnout

Unfortunately, as the Mayo Clinic explains, simply working in healthcare, or any other job that requires the care of others, puts you at a risk of job burnout. How people deal with burnout can vary. Some reported to Medscape, for example, that they prefer physical exercise, while others prefer to take time alone.

For healthcare providers, there is evidence that volunteering in short-term global medical initiatives can be of significant help. (To be continued)

If you are exhibiting any signs of burnout, it’s important that you talk to your doctor. (And if you are a doctor, that you talk to your own doctor!) Trying to work it out on your own is ill-advised.

Resources:

All Points North: Mental Health in Healthcare

Medscape: Physician Burnout & Depression Report 2022

Mayo Clinic: Job Burnout: How to Spot It and Take Action

Cleveland Clinic: Seven Red Flags of Job Burnout – and What You Can Do