Physicians are not happy, and the American Medical Association is focused on changing that. In 2022, only 22.4 percent of physicians said they were "professionally fulfilled," according to a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Almost 2,500 physicians answered survey questions posed by researchers from the AMA, Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine and Aurora-based University of Colorado School of Medicine between Dec. 9, 2021, and Jan. 24, 2022.
The study, "Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work-Life Integration in Physicians Over the First 2 Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic," revealed that 63 percent of physicians — consistent across all specialties — felt burned out by the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Mental health challenges were a factor for more than half (52.5 percent), who said they were depressed. Of the 2,440 surveyed physicians, 57 percent said they would choose to become a physician again.
"We're working to eliminate the dysfunction in health care by removing the obstacles and burdens that interfere with patient care," according to a May 2023 AMA news release.
The AMA is working to develop resources to "prioritize well-being and highlight workflow changes so physicians can focus on what matters — patient care."
Here, the AMA offers six ways to reduce physician burnout and "improve joy and meaning in work":
1. Focus on resilience: "Resilient health systems support and protect the individuals within," the AMA said in the news release, noting attention should be paid to obtaining and using feedback from physicians to drive change. This requires that leadership participate in these important conversations in a "meaningful" way.
2. Understand the problem: Hospitals can and should measure the levels of well-being of their own physician teams to develop ways to improve professional fulfillment, such as reducing work hours or eliminating unnecessary administrative work.
3. Eliminate added work: As medicine continues to embrace technology, more patients are able to contact physicians via patient portals. Responding to these questions adds a considerable amount of workload. Finding ways to reduce these duties can improve physician satisfaction.
4. Hire a chief wellness officer: "A chief wellness officer can help an organization systematically improve and maintain the well-being of physicians and other health professionals," the AMA said. The organization advised, however, that CWOs must have a full understanding of a particular healthcare system's challenges before they hit the ground running.
5. Culture counts: Workplace culture is more than a cliche. Taking steps to improve organizational culture and creating connections between leaders and their colleagues can reduce burnout, the AMA said.
6. Attention flows where energy goes: Hospital leaders must provide ways physicians can focus on the sense of joy they first felt when entering healthcare.