Prevalence of Burnout: More Than Numbers
Healthcare professionals in medical facilities, hospitals, clinics, and other health-related services are experiencing dangerous rates of burnout.
It’s widely recognised as a severely debilitating job-related syndrome. A general definition usually describes its three component parts: emotional exhaustion, cynical detachment and lower levels of competency.
Studies done in 45 countries from 1991-2018, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), showed between 63% and 72% of health professionals had experienced at least one component of burnout. Reviewers, however, noted problems with definitions, and the way the responses were interpreted.
Another review estimated burnout among physicians at 1 in 3 but agreed that ‘reported incidence of burnout varies worldwide‘.
A 2020 Medscape report found burnout among specialists ranged from 34% to 54%.
The prevalence of burnout is further blurred because it relies on self-reporting.
Even if statistical results are not entirely consistent, the lived experience is real.
Burnout is also frequently stigmatised, which can be a devastating extra blow for sufferers.
Burnout has enormous significance for the healthcare industry:
- Practitioners’ physical and emotional health, and the quality of their relationships are in jeopardy
- Exhaustion and potential medical errors put patients at risk
- Employing institutions bear the burdens of absenteeism, low morale, and legal liability.
There is also a hidden cost. We are often unaware of the longer-term effects on those who experience burnout: the loss of self-confidence, nagging self-doubt, fewer job opportunities, and the stalling of careers.
If approximately 1 in 3 healthcare workers experiences burnout, perhaps you should ask yourself whether you are at risk.
- Are you exhausted every day?
- Do you care less about your work, and find tasks dull and pointless?
- Do you feel you and your contributions are worthless, unappreciated?
- Are your personal interactions, at home and at work, suffering as a result?
There is no shame or stigma attached to burnout. If you are concerned, support is always available at Peer Reachout.