Crisis Point: The Physician Burnout Crisis

Author(s):

A 3-part series on the manifestations of physician burnout, how COVID-19 changed its scope and revealed systemic fractures, and finally, the path towards resolution and reformation.

For healthcare professionals, their work is often a balancing act, walking a fine line somewhere between life and death. It frequently extends far beyond the confines of a hospital, or a medical center, where the long hours creep into every aspect of their life.

These past few years have shown the struggles, consequences, and ultimately, the resilience of the healthcare field in the face of a crisis – that is, a burnout crisis. While the idea of physician burnout seems obvious in theory, the topic is still oftentimes taboo.

HCPLive® Crisis Point is an in-depth mini-docuseries. The series takes a comprehensive look into different public health crises in the United States, with worldwide implications.

This iteration focuses on the physician burnout crisis, with 3 episodes on its manifestations and ramifications, the fractures revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a path forward towards a solution and reformation.

The series featured 5 experts who shared their struggles and observations on burnout with honesty and candor within in-depth interviews. They included:

Jonathan Fisher, MD, Ending Physician Burnout Global Community and Summits
Thea Gallagher, PsyD, NYU Langone Psychiatry Associates
Lakshman Swamy, MD, MBA, Cambridge Health Alliance
Lisolette Dyrbye, MD, Mayo Clinic
Bridget Duffy, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Vocera Health

The interviewed experts expressed the ways burnout may have manifested for them, how COVID-19 exacerbated this wildfire, and their hope for a larger change that will reduce burnout and help reassess what it means to be a caregiver.

These indvidiuals brought forward this topic to normalize the conversation, but also make it known - burnout may leave an open wound for generations to come, who may be fearful of a job that gives so much and gets so little in return.

But, steps taken now can pull back the curtain on healthcare burnout and lay out the solution towards reformation and rectification.

Thanks for watching. Stay tuned for more from HCPLive Crisis Point.