Opinion: Medical training programs need to care about physician burnout. Should the rest of us?
As a patient, why should I care about physician burnout if medical schools and residency programs aren't tackling the problem head-on?
The medical profession is waking up to the fact that too many doctors are burned out in their jobs with plenty of public handwringing. There’s no question it’s a big issue for physicians. But should the rest of us care about it?
I’m not sure, and I study doctors and how they work.
There isn’t a lot of systematic research linking burnout among physicians to the health of their patients. I’m not saying that physician burnout doesn’t matter for patients. It likely does. If my auto mechanic is burned out, it probably affects the quality of repairs I get, just as an emotionally exhausted clinician may not be at the top of his or her game.
