Physicians Should be a Priority

In 2021, after the pandemic, the U.S. physician burnout rate reached an all-time high of 62.8%. Physicians continue to be overworked by a grueling system that is working to help other people’s health, yet has minimal consideration for the health of its workers. Physicians are subject to long hours, booked with patients to the maximum, and expected to do everything as quickly as possible. Physicians are trained to complete everything perfectly. This creates a perfectionist mindset for physicians and a very high standard for themselves. We usually talk about physician burnout from the outside and that they are being given too much work for an insufficient number of people. However, we forget to think about how physicians look at things and their mentalities. The healthcare system sets a very high expectation for quality care and if physicians strive to be perfect in everything they do, this can lead to depressive factors. They are humans, after all, it is hard for anyone to do everything perfectly and when they don't reach the expectations they may look down on themselves.   

Governmental bodies such as the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), should look to implement policies restricting physician scheduling and workload. These policies could focus on things such as: placing a hard limit on the number of patients physicians can see per week; creating standardized required time-off for physicians; implementing nationwide mental health services tailored to physicians. Implementing policies that focus on physicians’ well-being would help alleviate future burnout. Frequently, burnout is caused due to being overworked and a lack of resources for physicians. Future policies should focus on these two things in ensuring that there are rules and standardizations that prevent physicians from being overworked while providing them with their own healthcare resources. However, this is not a solution to the issue by itself. Healthcare systems need to focus on the culture within their organizations. Priorities and values within these cultures, such as treating as many patients as possible, are also big causes of physician burnout. Healthcare systems in the future should work to foster values that prioritize physician well-being. Hopefully, sooner than later physicians will be able to feel the same benefits of the healthcare system they are the foundation of.