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Research papers on Physician burnout

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  1. Prevalence of Burnout Among Physicians

    Lisa S. Rotenstein, Matthew Torre, Marco Antonio Ramos, et al. · 2018 · JAMA · 1,897 citations

    Importance: Burnout is a self-reported job-related syndrome increasingly recognized as a critical factor affecting physicians and their patients. An accurate estimate of burnout prevalence among physicians would have important health policy implications, but the overall prevalence is unknown. Objective: To characterize the methods used to assess burnout and provide an estimate of the prevalence of physician burnout. Data Sources and Study Selection: Systematic search of EMBASE, ERIC, MEDLINE/PubMed, psycARTICLES, and psycINFO for studies on the prevalence of burnout in practicing physicians (ie, excluding physicians in training) published before June 1, 2018. Data Extraction and Synthesis: B

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  2. Burnout in Healthcare Workers: Prevalence, Impact and Preventative Strategies

    Stefan G. De Hert · 2020 · Local and Regional Anesthesia · 743 citations

    Abstract: Approximately, one in three physicians is experiencing burnout at any given time. This may not only interfere with own wellbeing but also with the quality of delivered care. This narrative review discusses several aspects of the burnout syndrome: prevalence, symptoms, etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, impact, and strategies on how to deal with the problem. Keywords: burnout, healthcare worker, prevalence, impact, symptoms, prevention

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  3. The Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Worker Wellness: A Scoping Review

    Jacob R. Shreffler, Martin R. Huecker, Jessica Petrey · 2020 · Western Journal of Emergency Medicine · 621 citations

    At the heart of the unparalleled crisis of COVID-19, healthcare workers (HCWs) face several challenges treating patients with COVID-19: reducing the spread of infection; developing suitable short-term strategies; and formulating long-term plans. The psychological burden and overall wellness of HCWs has received heightened awareness in news and research publications. The purpose of this study was to provide a review on current publications measuring the effects of COVID-19 on wellness of healthcare providers to inform interventional strategies. Between April 6-May 17, 2020, we conducted systematic searches using combinations of these keywords and synonyms in conjunction with the controlled vo

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  4. Workplace interventions to improve well-being and reduce burnout for nurses, physicians and allied healthcare professionals: a systematic review

    Catherine Cohen, Silvia Pignata, Eva Bezak, et al. · 2023 · BMJ Open · 508 citations

    There is a growing need for interventions to improve well-being in healthcare workers, particularly since the onset of COVID-19. OBJECTIVES: To synthesise evidence since 2015 on the impact of interventions designed to address well-being and burnout in physicians, nurses and allied healthcare professionals. DESIGN: Systematic literature review. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase, Emcare, CINAHL, PsycInfo and Google Scholar were searched in May-October 2022. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Studies that primarily investigated burnout and/or well-being and reported quantifiable preintervention and postintervention outcomes using validated well-being measures were included. DATA EXTRACTION

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  5. Burnout among physicians

    Maya Romani, Khalil Ashkar · 2014 · Libyan Journal of Medicine · 324 citations

    Burnout is a common syndrome seen in healthcare workers, particularly physicians who are exposed to a high level of stress at work; it includes emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment. Burnout among physicians has garnered significant attention because of the negative impact it renders on patient care and medical personnel. Physicians who had high burnout levels reportedly committed more medical errors. Stress management programs that range from relaxation to cognitive-behavioral and patient-centered therapy have been found to be of utmost significance when it comes to preventing and treating burnout. However, evidence is insufficient to support that stress m

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  6. Burnout among Portuguese healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Ivone Duarte, Andréia Teixeira, Luísa Castro, et al. · 2020 · BMC Public Health · 259 citations

    BACKGROUND: During COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) have had high workload and have been exposed to multiple psychosocial stressors. The aim of this study was to evaluate HCWs in terms of the relative contributions of socio-demographic and mental health variables on three burnout dimensions: personal, work-related, and client-related burnout. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed using an online questionnaire spread via social networks. A snowball technique supported by health care institutions and professional organizations was applied. RESULTS: A total of 2008 subjects completed the survey. Gender, parental status, marriage status, and salary reduction were found to be

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  7. The Impact of COVID-19 on Physician Burnout Globally: A Review

    Shabbir Amanullah, Rashmi Ramesh Shankar · 2020 · Healthcare · 201 citations

    Background: The current pandemic, COVID-19, has added to the already high levels of stress that medical professionals face globally. While most health professionals have had to shoulder the burden, physicians are not often recognized as being vulnerable and hence little attention is paid to morbidity and mortality within this group. Objective: To analyse and summarise the current knowledge on factors/potential factors contributing to burnout amongst healthcare professionals amidst the pandemic. This review also makes a few recommendations on how best to prepare intervention programmes for physicians. Methods: In August 2020, a systematic review was performed using the database Medline and Em

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  8. Physician Burnout

    Linda Gundersen · 2001 · Annals of Internal Medicine · 198 citations

    Current Clinical Issues17 July 2001Physician BurnoutLinda GundersenLinda GundersenAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-135-2-200107170-00023 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail "Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin/As self-neglecting." King Henry V, Act 2, scene 4Physicians are often prone to burnout because of their personality profiles. "We want people who are driven, who are competitive, who can excel at everything that they do. What do they do when they get into practice? They try to do everything, and they have this complex which also says they mus

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  9. Conceptualisation of job-related wellbeing, stress and burnout among healthcare workers in rural Ethiopia: a qualitative study

    Medhin Selamu, Graham Thornicroft, Abebaw Fekadu, et al. · 2017 · BMC Health Services Research · 88 citations

    BACKGROUND: Wellbeing of healthcare workers is important for the effective functioning of health systems. The aim of this study was to explore the conceptualisations of wellbeing, stress and burnout among healthcare workers in primary healthcare settings in rural Ethiopia in order to inform the development of contextually appropriate interventions. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in a rural zone of southern Ethiopia. A total of 52 frontline primary healthcare workers participated in in-depth interviews (n = 18) or Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) (4 groups, total n = 34). There were 35 facility based healthcare professionals and 17 community-based health workers. Data were analysed

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  11. The effects of different types of organisational workplace mental health interventions on mental health and wellbeing in healthcare workers: a systematic review

    Birgit Aust, Caleb Leduc, J. Cresswell-Smith, et al. · 2024 · International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health · 73 citations

    To determine if and which types of organisational interventions conducted in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in healthcare are effective on mental health and wellbeing. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched six scientific databases, assessed the methodological quality of eligible studies using QATQS and grouped them into six organisational intervention types for narrative synthesis. Only controlled studies with at least one follow-up were eligible. We identified 22 studies (23 articles) mainly conducted in hospitals with 16 studies rated of strong or moderate methodological quality. More than two thirds (68%) of the studies reported improvements in at least one primary outcome (m

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  12. Physician Burnout: Evidence-Based Roadmaps to Prioritizing and Supporting Personal Wellbeing

    Louise Underdahl, Mary Ditri, L. Duthely · 2024 · Journal of Healthcare Leadership · 48 citations

    Abstract Current literature validates the magnitude of physician burnout as a complex challenge affecting physicians, patients, and healthcare delivery that mandates science-informed intervention. Physician burnout affects both individual practitioners and patient care delivery. Interventions, defined as roadmaps, to prioritizing and supporting personal wellbeing encompass organizational, individual, and moral injury, with virtually no consensus on optimal approaches. The purpose of this conceptual review is to present evidence-based innovative insights on contributing factors, mitigation, and designing adaptive systems to combat and prevent burnout. Science-informed policy initiatives that

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  14. The “Healthcare Workers’ Wellbeing (Benessere Operatori)” Project: A Picture of the Mental Health Conditions of Italian Healthcare Workers during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

    V. D. Di Mattei, G. Perego, F. Milano, et al. · 2021 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 25 citations

    During the last year, the COVID-19 outbreak put all the healthcare workers around the world at risk of physical and psychological sequelae. The general purpose of the present study was to assess the mental health of Italian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak and to identify high-risk groups. Here, we present results from the baseline assessment of the “Healthcare workers’ wellbeing (Benessere Operatori)” project on a sample of 1055 healthcare workers. Participants completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Healthcare workers who

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  15. Physician wellbeing and burnout in emergency medicine in Switzerland

    Eric Pieter Heymann, Valerie Romann, Rodrick K. Lim, et al. · 2024 · Swiss Medical Weekly · 23 citations

    Emergency physicians are the most at-risk medical specialist group for burnout. Given its consequences for patient care and physician health and its resulting increased attrition rates, ensuring the wellbeing of emergency physicians is vital for preserving the integrity of the safety net for the healthcare system that is emergency medicine. In an effort to understand the current state of practicing physicians, this study reviews the results of the first national e-survey on physician wellbeing and burnout in emergency medicine in Switzerland. Addressed to all emergency physicians between March and April 2023, it received 611 complete responses. More than half of respondents met at least one

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  17. The “Healthcare Workers’ Wellbeing [Benessere Operatori]” Project: A Longitudinal Evaluation of Psychological Responses of Italian Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

    G. Perego, F. Cugnata, C. Brombin, et al. · 2022 · Journal of Clinical Medicine · 21 citations

    Background: COVID-19 forced healthcare workers to work in unprecedented and critical circumstances, exacerbating already-problematic and stressful working conditions. The “Healthcare workers’ wellbeing (Benessere Operatori)” project aimed at identifying psychological and personal factors, influencing individuals’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: 291 healthcare workers took part in the project by answering an online questionnaire twice (after the first wave of COVID-19 and during the second wave) and completing questions on socio-demographic and work-related information, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the Sta

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  18. ‘It’s like juggling fire daily’: Well-being, workload and burnout in the British NHS - A survey of 721 physicians

    C. Dominic, D. Gopal, A. Sidhu · 2021 · Work · 18 citations

    BACKGROUND: Physicians are at higher risk for burnout than workers in other fields. Burnout negatively impacts physician health, care delivery and healthcare cost. Existing studies quantify the workforce affected by burnout whilst qualitative studies use specific specialty groups limiting generalisability of solutions. This is important given increased stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to understand the causes of work-related burnout, identify what supportive resources physicians utilise, and to propose solutions. METHODS: A questionnaire was circulated between March and May 2019 via the ‘Doctors’ Association UK’ website and social media. RESULTS: 721 responses

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  19. The effect of job and personal demands and resources on healthcare workers’ wellbeing: A cross-sectional study

    C. Yousef, Ali Farooq, Gigi Amateau, et al. · 2024 · PLOS ONE · 17 citations

    The COVID-19 pandemic presented many psychological stressors which affected healthcare worker wellbeing. The aim of this study was to understand the factors that affect the wellbeing of healthcare professionals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using Job-Demand and Resource (JD-R) Model. The proposal model consisted of demand factors (Work load—job demand, loneliness—personal demand), support factors (organizational support—job resource, and resilience—personal resource), mediators (burnout and work engagement), and outcome (wellbeing) A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted across 276 healthcare workers from hospitals and primary healthcare centers, including healthcare professional

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  20. Emotional demands, burnout, and mental wellbeing in healthcare, care, and service work: the mediating role of surface acting across age

    Tímea Zsuzsanna Popucza, L. Eriksson, Mårten Eriksson · 2025 · Frontiers in Organizational Psychology · 17 citations

    This study examines how emotional demands and surface acting contribute to burnout and mental wellbeing among professionals in healthcare, care, and service roles. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 1,506 participants involved in frequent patient, care-receiver, or customer interactions. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), we tested a serial mediation model. Surface acting mediated the relationship between emotional demands and burnout, defined as exhaustion and disengagement. In turn, these burnout dimensions mediated a negative association with mental wellbeing. These effects were consistent across professional groups, indicating the widespr

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  21. Burnout Among Healthcare Workers: Insights for Holistic Well-Being

    Carina Fernandes, Carla Barros, Pilar Baylina · 2025 · Healthcare · 14 citations

    Background/Objectives: In the healthcare sector, burnout has become a critical concern due to high job demands and emotional strain. The main objective of the study is to examine the predictive role of psychosocial work-related risks in the development of burnout. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, using a snowball recruitment method, from May to September 2025, among 154 healthcare workers. Data were collected using the psychosocial risk factors scale (INSAT_ERPS) and the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze the predictive role of the psychosocial risk on burnout dimensions. Results: Psychosocial risk factors are cons

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  22. Editorial: Burnout, wellbeing and resilience of healthcare workers in the post-COVID world

    Mansoor Malik, Kristina R. Weeks, Tanvi Ajay Bafna, et al. · 2025 · Frontiers in Medicine · 9 citations

    The majority of studies originate from middle income countries including China, Jordan, United Arab Emirates and Iran. Several studies originated from high income countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden and Spain These studies paint a concerning yet actionable picture of healthcare worker wellbeing in the post-pandemic era. Across multiple countries and healthcare settings, researchers found persistently high rates of burnout and mental health challenges among healthcare professionals.Nurses and frontline workers were particularly vulnerable, with moral injury and lasting psychological scars. Several studies highlighted how systemic issues like chronic understaffing, exce

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  23. Psychological wellbeing and the association with burnout in a cohort of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Jacqueline Bannon, C. Evans, M. Freedman, et al. · 2022 · Frontiers in Health Services · 9 citations

    Burnout, depression, and anxiety are prevalent among healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been previously shown to contribute to poor health outcomes and reduced quality of care. Positive psychological constructs such as positive affect and meaning and purpose are related to resilience in the face of significant stress. No studies have examined these associations among a cohort of HCWs during this pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of depression, anxiety, positive affect, and meaning and purpose with burnout among HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. We utilized data from a cross-sectional survey conducted between September 29-December

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  24. The Mental Wellbeing of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Workers in England: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study Reporting Levels of Burnout, Wellbeing and Job Satisfaction

    Silvana Mareva, Beth Chapman, Rebecca Hardwick, et al. · 2024 · Healthcare · 8 citations

    In the UK, there has been a notable increase in referrals to specialist children’s mental health services. This, coupled with shortages of qualified staff, has raised concerns about the escalating occupational stress experienced by staff in this sector. In this brief report, we present cross-sectional quantitative data from 97 staff members working in one Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in the UK during spring 2023, reporting on their wellbeing, job satisfaction, and burnout. Our findings reveal that over a third of CAMHS staff experienced moderate or high levels of work-related burnout; 39% reported moderate or high levels of personal burnout, but levels of client-related

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