Physician Burnout: Cause and Prevention Strategies

Ongoing evolution in healthcare places physicians under an ever-increasing pressure to consistently perform at a higher level, leading to a significant number of physicians including those in training feeling "burnt-out". Burnout is a result of interplay between personal charateristics and environmental factors. Unadressed physician burnout negatively affects the individual, work environment and most importantly patient care. Individual and environmenal changes are needed to assess and effectively manage burnout. Stigma and fear of professional consequences, especially among regional doctors appears to be an important barrier to access services and address burnout. There is an ever increasing need to expand the Triple Aim (enhancing patient experience, improving population health, and reducing costs) to a Quadruple Aim that goal of improving the work life of health care providers, including clinicians and staff.