PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS
Provided that I used to be a coeditor of the book, Combating Physician Burnout: A Guide for Psychiatrists, which got published right before the pandemic, I actually have tried to trace how well now we have been doing. Not well in any respect, it seems.
Looking back to 2022, several weekday columns told a tragic story, each for other physicians and ourselves.
On February 24, 2022, the column was on “Our Own Deteriorating Mental Wellness.” We were 2 years into the pandemic. The annual Medscape Psychiatrist Lifestyle, Happiness, and Burnout Report suggested happiness outside of labor was right down to 57% for psychiatrists, and we were burning out at a roughly regular rate of 38%.1
On September 19, 2022, the column was “Medical Business as Usual is Increasingly Unhealthy.” It presented data from the American Psychiatric Association that almost two thirds of responding physicians were burning out in 2021, almost double the speed from the prior yr. President Biden promised increased funding to deal with this problem, which was also causing decreased quality of care, clinician turnover, increased costs, and medical errors. On NBC News last Wednesday evening, the rise in medical errors was featured.2
On the October 3 and October 18 columns, 2 myths about burnout were dispelled. It isn’t caused mainly by the variety of hours worked or isolation. No, the foremost causative factor, perhaps 80% of the variance, continues to be the system which thwarts the power of physicians to heal.
Earlier this week, on January 11, Healio/Psychiatry released a summary: “‘We’re not surprised’: Physician burnout continues into third yr of pandemic.”3 Probably the most recent study indicated that about two thirds of physician had no less than 1 manifestation of burnout. Twenty percent were hoping to depart their practice in 2 years. Female physicians were at higher risk of burnout and encountering microaggressions.
Clearly, physician burnout was already hovering around 50% before the burnout, but has even worsened since. The foremost offender continues to be the system, with the pandemic adding an absence of preparation for the protection of physicians to the priority of costs and profits. Furthermore, a rising rate of burnout has spread to other workplaces in society, in addition to to oldsters.
For an earlier column on this follow up series, I wondered if psychiatrists would ever strike or be a part of a more collective strike. If there was any time to take into consideration that, evidently now’s the time. Provided that the pandemic stress in medicine is lessening some and we understand how harmful physician and nurse burnout is for us, let alone our patients, if we don’t soon strike the match to rekindle our skilled fires, when will we?
Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who has specialized within the cultural and ethical elements of psychiatry. A prolific author and speaker, he received the one-time designation of Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Assembly of the American Psychiatric Association in 2002. He’s an advocate for mental health issues related to climate instability, burnout, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism for a greater world. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times™.
References
1. Medscape Psychiatrist Lifestyle, Happiness and Burnout Report 2022. Medscape. February 18, 2022. Accessed January 13, 2023. https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2022-lifestyle-psychiatrist-6014788
2. Sullivan K. Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. hospitalized patients experience harmful events, study finds. NBC News. January 11, 2023. Accessed January 13, 2023. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/nearly-1-4-us-hospital-patients-experience-harmful-event-study-finds-rcna65119
3. Downey K Jr. ‘We’re not surprised’: Physician burnout continues into third yr of pandemic. Healio. January 11, 2023. Accessed January 13, 2023. https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20230111/were-not-surprised-physician-burnout-continues-into-third-year-of-pandemic
