Physician Burnout in Hospitals

Dear Colleagues,

Burnout is a rising problem among American doctors, according to a study published in the December issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The number of physicians who met the criteria for burnout rose from 45 to 54% from 2011 to 2014. Burnout rates increased in nearly all specialties, but the highest rates of burnout were found among doctors working in internal medicine, family medicine, and emergency medicine. Burnout manifests with emotional exhaustion, loss of meaning in work, and feelings of uselessness and is troublesome to the doctors themselves, their patients, their medical profession, and their families.

This Special Issue will explore the existing state of knowledge of physician burnout and its related problems. What do we know about physician burnout? How can we challenge the established organizational functioning in hospitals? Why are physicians at a higher risk of depression and suicide? Is there a stigma associated with the low number of physicians seeking help for burnout? Does burnout cause adverse patient and hospital outcomes due to a decreased work efficiency of the affected doctors?  This Special Issue will address the most recent scientific findings regarding the prevalence, prevention, and challenges of physician burnout in the healthcare system. This is a serious public health problem in the United States. Despite the consideration that this problem receives by the media, little is known about preventive and effective organizational strategies. To conclude, this Special Issue will focus on physician burnout, our current state of knowledge of it, and future directions for reducing it and improving physicians’ well-being and productivity.

Dr. Rikinkumar S. Patel
Dr. Hema Madhuri Mekala
Dr. Zeeshan Mansuri
Guest Editors

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