Addressing Health Worker Burnout: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Building a Thriving Health Workforce [Internet]

Excerpt

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Academy of Medicine found that burnout had reached “crisis levels” among the U.S. health workforce, with 35-54% of nurses and physicians and 45-60% of medical students and residents reporting symptoms of burnout. Burnout is an occupational syndrome characterized by a high degree of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (i.e., cynicism), and a low sense of personal accomplishment at work. People in any profession can experience burnout, yet it is especially worrisome among health workers given the potential impacts on our health care system and therefore, our collective health and wellbeing. Burnout is associated with risk of mental health challenges, such as anxiety and depression—however, burnout is not an individual mental health diagnosis. While addressing burnout may include individual-level support, burnout is a distinct workplace phenomenon that primarily calls for a prioritization of systems-oriented, organizational-level solutions.