burnout

ROCHESTER, Minn. ― Mayo Clinic researchers report that nurses in the U.S. experience suicidal ideation in greater numbers than other general workers and those who [...]

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Almost two-thirds of surgeons reported an increase in neck pain after performing surgery, and one-quarter rated their neck or lower back pain [...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a consensus report released Wednesday, Oct. 23, the National Academy of Medicine makes recommendations for system-level change needed to improve the [...]

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Medical doctors in the United States are twice as likely to experience symptoms of burnout as other workers, which can compromise [...]

ROCHESTER, Minn. ― Mayo Clinic researchers have found an association between increased symptoms of burnout and heightened racial bias in medical residents. The study appears [...]

ROCHESTER, Minn. – Resident physician burnout in the U.S. is widespread, with the highest rates concentrated in certain specialties, according to research from Mayo [...]

The pace of life today is crazy. Many people juggle multiple responsibilities — work, home life, caregiving and relationships. How many times have you felt [...]

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Several national surveys have found that approximately 15 to 20 percent of adults in the U.S. will report high levels of stress. [...]

More than half of all adults in the U.S. are stressed and burned out. That's according to Mayo Clinic's Dr. Edward Creagan. He says modern life is [...]

Practicing medicine can be a high stress job, but is there a difference between working in a hospital as opposed to a clinical setting?  In [...]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The perception that doctors who are based in hospitals burn out quicker than doctors in outpatient settings is just wrong – doctor burnout happens equally, according to a new Mayo Clinic study, published in the November issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video of Dr. Roberts is available for download from the Mayo Clinic News Network. Researchers at Mayo Clinic reviewed 54 burnout studies worldwide to see if there is any validity to the longstanding belief that practicing in the hospital incites greater burnout. The studies included data from more than 5,000 outpatient physicians and more than 1,300 inpatient physicians. Burnout is defined in the study as a syndrome affecting the entirety of work life and characterized by cynicism, detachment and inefficiency. The Mayo Clinic study looked at these factors to determine overall burnout. While there were slight differences in the effect of burnout of inpatient and outpatient doctors, overall burnout was equal. "Burnout is everywhere and if you look for it you'll find it," says Daniel Roberts, M.D., an Internal Medicine physician at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona and lead author of the study. "What this study tells us is that it is as much a problem for clinic-based doctors as it is for hospitalists and others who work in shifts. It's a little reassuring to find that hospitalists aren't particularly prone, but it's more concerning how burnout spans different specialties and practice locations." The studies reviewed in this research represented a board range of burnout related issues, various physician specialties and diverse inpatient and outpatient settings. Although the Mayo Clinic study focused on the difference between the two groups, past studies have suggested factors both leading to and avoiding burning.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — It appears that long, arduous hours in the hospital are causing more than stress and fatigue among doctors-in-training — they're crashing, or nearly crashing, their cars after work, according to new Mayo Clinic research. Nearly half of the roughly 300 Mayo Clinic residents polled during the course of their residencies reported nearly getting into a motor vehicle crash during their training, and about 11 percent were actually involved in a traffic accident.

MULTIMEDIA ALERT: For audio and video of Dr. West talking about resident fatigue and stress, visit Mayo Clinic News Network.

The study, recently published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found that residents attributed the traffic incidents to fatigue and to distress — including feelings of burnout or depression. "Just like any other field, residents need their recovery time. In order to make good decisions, physicians need to be physically and emotionally well," says lead author Colin West, M.D., Ph.D., an internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic. "Residents need to be rested. We don't want them to have undue amounts of stress." It is well documented that medical residents often work long and grueling hours during their three-year residencies. The intense work schedule has benefits, Dr. West says. For example, residencies prepare trainees to become independent physicians. However, it's important that educators continually update their approach to retain the value of the training while minimizing stress and fatigue, he says. In addition to the 11 percent who had traffic crashes, 43 percent reported narrowly avoiding them. "The mere fact that motor vehicle incidents are common among residents brings the issues of resident fatigue, sleepiness and distress to a new level of priority," Dr. West says. "New interventions designed to address both resident fatigue and distress may be needed to promote patient and resident safety." Residents also were asked about the frequency of self-reported blood and body fluid exposures. Of the about 300 residents in the study, 23 (about 8 percent) reported having at least one blood and body fluid exposure due to fatigue or stress during the study period.