Physician burnout is everywhere. From the lay press to health care news outlets, it’s making headlines. And there is a seemingly never-ending supply of sobering data points that underscore why this is such a large—and growing—issue for medical groups. 
Over 50% of physicians now report having at least one symptom of burnout. A study of almost 8,000 surgeons found that major medical errors correlated strongly to a surgeon’s degree of burnout. On patient outcomes, physician burnout is associated with lower patient satisfaction and longer post-discharge recovery time. In other words, burnout can make clinicians less effective.
But it can also make them less productive. Earlier this month, researchers at Mayo Clinic published the findings from their longitudinal study investigating the link between physician burnout and the shift toward part-time work schedules.