After declining for six years, burnout rates among physicians began to spike once the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to research by the American Medical Association, the Mayo Clinic and Stanford Medicine. By the end of 2021, which is about 21 months later, the burnout rate among doctors had risen to an all-time high.
WHY IT IMPORTANT
Research, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, shows that the burnout rate among US physicians is 62.8% in 2021, compared with 38.2% in 2020, 43.9% in 2017, 54.4% in 2014 and 45.5 % In 2011.
As a result, one in five doctors intend to leave their current job within two years.
“Although the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic are behind us, there is an urgent need for the involvement of the doctors who have put everything into our national response. for COVID-19, too often at the expense of their own health”, Dr. Jack Resneck Jr., president of the AMA, said in a prepared statement.
Although occupational burnout is higher among physicians than in the US workforce, persisted during the pandemic, emotionally exhausted clinicians express skepticism. , disillusionment and career depression.
Resneck says the general findings that require action are outlined in The AMA Rehabilitation Plan for America’s Physicians, a roadmap released in June that addresses the needs of physicians with five key goals:
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Remote support.
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Medicare payment reform.
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Stop creep range.
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Overcome the pre-authorization burden.
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Reduce physician burnout.
Resneck, who took office in June, said supporting doctors and prioritizing their health is essential to national goals. The AMA plans to address “dysfunction in healthcare” by working to remove obstacles and burdens that interfere with patient care, he said.
TREND TO BIGGER WOMAN
Exhausted doctors deal with record backlogs, breaks, no time to eat and other impacts on their health.
According to an analysis of 170 studies involving more than 239,000 doctors by the University of Manchester in the UK, job regret is the biggest thing for doctors aged 31-50 working in the acute health sector. assist.
That study also showed Patients treated by burn doctors face other risks when they receive care.
Sudden delivery of virtually care – and the intense workload management that comes with it – has been a problem worldwide, closely related to the usability of electronic health records and the administrative burden.
Technology can ease administrative burdens so doctors can focus more on patients.
UCHealth has been added real-time prescription benefit software to ease tasks like phoning the pharmacy to inquire about cost information or manually searching for drug alternatives or coupons and to provide more transparency on prices for patients.
In the UCHealth EHR, providers can now view previously inaccessible data, as lower-cost options.
“By making this information accessible at the point of care and integrating with our EHR, technology also reduces the administrative burden on healthcare workers and streamlines workflow,” said Dr. CT Lin, CMIO at UCHealth, says IT news about healthcare in the May.
ON PROFILE
Dr. Gerald E. Harmon, president of the AMA, said in June when the recovery plan was announced.
He added: “The shortage of doctors, which was forecast to be severe before COVID, has almost become a public health emergency. “If we don’t succeed with this recovery plan, it will be even more difficult to bring talented young people into the medical profession and fill that projected shortfall.”
Andrea Fox is the senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.
