Increase of Physician Burnout Post-Covid
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the job market overall employees who continued to work throughout the pandemic experienced job burnout. However, building upon earlier studies and research, experts have identified that physicians experienced higher rates of burnout than the general workforce (California Medical Association). Due to this, many studies have concluded that the recent effect of this pandemic on physician burnout has given healthcare organizations an opportunity to examine the system. Physician burnout rates rose from 38.2% to 62.8% from 2020 to 2021, demonstrating a statistically significant impact caused by COVID-19. Additionally, experts agree that the 62.8% burnout rate in physicians by the end of 2021 was most likely caused by the omicron wave of COVID-19 as this is where physician burnout reached an all time high (AMA News Wire). Burnout of physicians then led to predictions of increased early retirements and departures, also causing an imbalance in the supply and demand of physicians. For incentive, many organizations are increasing compensation packages to attract physicians. Additionally, organizations are promoting a work-life balance for physicians by allowing flexibility in scheduling and work arrangements. To address physician concerns about burnout, the healthcare industry has been adapting to address the problem.
The main cause of physician burnout has been the physician shortage which has been decades in the making combined with the new demand for physicians due to COVID-19. Specifically, the greatest need for primary care physicians is in rural areas. These rural areas also require specialists who will be willing to treat various patients. Additionally, overall there is a greater demand for mental health providers such as psychiatrists, psychologists, and Advanced Practice Providers— APPs (Medical Economics). These demands only grew during COVID-19 and due to the shortage of physicians already, studies have found that physicians experienced greater burnout due to COVID-19. This is unlikely to change anytime soon (Medical Economics). Therefore, to encourage recruitment and retention of physicians, a work-life balance should be encouraged.
By Devangi Rathi