Burnout: Don’t Blame the Clinicians; Blame the System
Physician burnout is the depression of the medical world, and experienced by 50% of physicians. In order to combat this epidemic, physicians should be screened for depressing with scales such as the PHQ-9, on an annual basis, and receive education to help them to be aware of signs of burnout in themselves. After identifying burnout and the extend of the problem, systematic solutions to address the problem, such as improving workflow, lessening burden of physician tasks, and allowing physicians to “trade time”, need to be implemented. Until conscious, systematic efforts are made to put the pieces back together for physicians, they will continue in a vicious cycle of provider dissatisfaction, poor clinical outcomes, and patient dissatisfaction.