Practical Steps for Physician Burnout

Practical Steps for Tackling Mental Health Crisis for Health Care Providers

• 50% of physicians reported burnout in survey published at the 2020 ESMO Conference
• Work-life balance may sound like a cliché, but it is extremely important for physicians
• Balancing household workload between partners can be significant in reducing anxiety and fatigue

Therapy for physicians is important. Providers can be consumers of therapy, and there should be no shame in seeking help. Dr. Elizabeth Jewell says to identify risk factors. “Middle-aged women, and associate professors tend to be high risk [for mental health issues]. A lot of it has to do with busier clinical practices, job expectations, and responsibilities at home. As a society, we need to figure that out.”

Equality such as balancing the load of household work between a partner is important. There are specific practical steps, including talking about depression and burnout. “It’s not really safe for a physician to report that they’re not doing well. There’s got to be some progress made on that,” says Dr. Dana Chase. “I wish there was a guaranteed safe space where people could go to express burnout.”

Dr. Thomas Herzog notes that physicians don’t set a very good example sometimes when it comes to self-care. He uses the example of having postponed his past three dental appointments. “We all internalize this, and then we see these patients for multiple recurrences – it really is hard. I try to stay active athletically, so I have outlets. But I think we need to lean more on our friends and family than we do.”

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