Physician burnout is the highest it’s ever been. Burnout among doctors might not have spiked with the initial phases of the pandemic, but in the aftermath  has soared. Results published by the Mayo Clinic Proceedings show a full 63% of physicians reporting at least one symptom of burnout. In the early stages of the pandemic, this number was 38%. A sure fire sign that some change is needed.

Other measures of burnout have dipped as well. Physician’s satisfaction with their work life balance has dropped from 46% at the beginning of the pandemic to just 30% now. So what’s causing the decline in happiness?

Burnout in the medical field

The medical field is rife with burnout. Some of the explanations are understandable: not many professionals can handle the emotional toll of seeing people lose loved ones or suffer themselves. However, the recent surge in medical burnout goes beyond difficult patients or conversations. 

Medical professionals like doctors tend to see their occupation as a calling, not just a job. 

Doing work you feel called to do can be satisfying, no matter how hard it might be. However, when your plans are consistently getting sidetracked and you’re never able to finish everything on your to-do list, it’s hard not to get discouraged. Difficult patients are part of the bargain, but experts suggest that it’s feeling like you’re not in charge of your heavy workload that leads to burnout. When it comes to workload, piles of paperwork play a major role. 

Medical paperwork & burnout

Paperwork might be part of working in the medical industry, but it’s not a welcome one! The New England Journal of Medicine suggests doctors burn out because of a mismatch between what doctors actually want (to help people) and what they’re compensated for in the role (money.) Of course, doctors do want to get paid, but in a study of more than 15,000 medical professionals, half of them said they’d be willing to give up as much as $20,000 in salary if they could work less hours. 

These aren’t hours spent with patients. A 2018 article from The Medical Post suggests doctors have been pointing to administration paperwork as a contributing factor to burnout since well before the pandemic - even to the point of questioning whether or not it was healthy for patients. 

Solutions to burnout in the medical field using AI tools

While burnout is on the rise among medical industry professionals, it’s not the patients that are the problem. Some aspects of burnout, such as depersonalizing patients  might be caused by aspects of the job. Others, like feeling drained, using unhealthy coping mechanisms, or being emotionally exhausted, can be side effects of a heavy workload. 

With this in mind, here are some suggestions for combating burnout in the workplace:

Solutions to burnout in the medical field: Spend more of your time doing high value work

2023 levels of medical burnout are troubling - but industry professionals don’t have to look far to see why. Physician Dr. Tait Shanafelt told the New York Times that doctors care about the patient’s experience and the experience they had in the clinic. The rest of the job, such as administration, was something they just got paid for. “A doctor may stop looking forward to patient visits if each one is accompanied by a large amount of paperwork; they may feel as if their time is being wasted by an inefficient process.” 

Spending more of your time on high value tasks - like treating and diagnosing the patient - can make burnout easier to avoid.

Solutions to burnout in the medical field: Use AI tools to enhance productivity

The medical industry is no stranger to paperwork. With potentially hours of paperwork caused by small tests (such as bloodwork), and even more of it generated when a claim is filed, medical records are heavy on manual labor. However, research suggests that it’s this labor that is causing problems with burnout. 

Fortunately, today’s AI tools have the ability to cut down on paperwork time - without threatening the results, accuracy, or autonomy of your role. Human in the loop workflows allow for human expertise with the time savings of AI.

Solutions to burnout in the medical field: Time block your week

Many medical industry professionals suggest taking time away from the clinic or office, and the advice isn’t just for doctors. Experts on medical burnout suggest even an extra half day every week to work on something about the job you love (for example, building relationships with patients), can help you find more satisfaction in the job. In fact, the less time professionals spend on administration and the more they spend on the more satisfying parts of their role, the lower their likelihood of being burned out. 

Mitigating burnout leads to a better experience for medical professionals and patients

The medical field is known for high burnout, but it doesn’t have to continue. Technologies like AI and tools for modern workflows can help physicians or other medical professionals spend more time in the clinic and less time on administration - leading to less stress, and more balance, overall.