Doctor burnout is a rising phenomena in the field of medicine. More is expected of doctors these days than ever before. There are new medical discoveries being made virtually everyday. In addition to staying educated on these new findings, there are unique governmental regulations being rolled out all too frequently. These include meaningful use, NCQA, certified medical homes and others, which are all very time consuming and labor intensive. At the same time, insurance companies have required increasing amounts of paperwork and bureaucracy.
What is contributing to physician burnout?
– As stated above, rapidly advancing technologies and discoveries in medicine that we are expected to be aware of.
– Increased regulatory burdens from the government and insurance companies.
– Decreasing or stagnating incomes that do not adjust for rising overhead expenses or cost of living increases.
– Increased liability issues. This problem continues to flourish allowing unneeded stress to be the backbone of much of what we do. Without tort reform and eliminating frivolous lawsuits, it will continue unchecked. Doctors pay high malpractice insurance premiums and many times feel much of medicine is done for defensive reasons.
– Increased denial of care is also a cause of our burnout. Increasingly, insurance companies are denying tests that doctors consider are medically necessary. Prescribed medications are often not covered by patient’s prescription coverage. This is leading to an increasing feeling of helplessness among doctors. We are trying to offer our patients with the best medical care possible. Yet, often we feel our hands are tied by the insurance companies.
– Patients are increasingly unhappy. They are forced to buy their own premiums and facing higher deductibles which they have to pay out-of-pocket. Frustration creeps in when they are unable to get the tests done that their doctor prescribed or take medications that they need.
– Life/work balance has been unbalanced. Doctors are working more hours than ever before. We are expected to take calls at night, on weekends and holidays. These are services that we often do not get paid to do. Yet, many patients have no appreciation of this. It has become an expectation.
– Lack of solidarity among physicians. We often feel isolated and alone in our struggles. We do not see that other doctors are facing the same struggles that we are. This leads to isolation.
We are facing increasing changes in the healthcare field. Many physicians feel that we are expected to give more and more while we are getting less and less. This overwhelms many doctors leading to burnout. And many of these factors are completely out of our control. We feel trapped in a system that we feel is not working and is in fact broken. We have little voice to speak up against many of the injustices we are seeing in this system. These feelings lead to burnout. More doctors are looking for alternative careers or to retire early. Many physicians are finding little enjoyment in their chosen profession. We need to get back to the system where doctors have a voice about what happens in medicine. A system where patients get the care they deserve.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2014 Linda Girgis, MD, FAAFP
