Provider burnout: Implications for our perinatal patients

Abstract

Objective: To describe the syndrome of physician burnout within neonatology, its relation to neonatal quality of care, and outline potential solutions.

Findings: Burnout affects up to half of physicians, including up to one-third of neonatologists, at any given time. It is linked to suicidality, substance abuse, and intent to leave practice, and it is strongly associated with reduced quality of care in the published literature. Resilience and mindfulness interventions rooted in positive psychology may reduce burnout among individual providers. Because burnout is largely driven by organizational factors, system-level attention to leadership, teamwork, and practice efficiency can reduce burnout at the level of the organization.

Conclusions: Burnout is common among neonatologists and consistently relates to decreased quality of patient care in a variety of dimensions. Personal resilience training and system-wide organizational interventions are needed to reverse burnout and promote high-quality neonatal care.

Figure 1.

Conceptual framework relating system risk factors to physician experience, with downstream consequences on physician outcomes and patient outcomes, plus examples of potential solutions. WISER: Web-based Implementation of the Science of Enhancing Resilience.