Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our healthcare workers have received a lot of attention. They have been praised as heroes, spotlighted on the news, and donations from their communities lined the doors. But as the attention declines, our healthcare workers are feeling an increase in burnout.
Burnout in healthcare is not a new concept. Herbert Freudenberger coined the phrase burnout back in the 1970s, specifically referring to helping professions.
This article discusses the causes of burnout in healthcare workers and, more importantly, provides information to raise awareness about what can be done for people who may be experiencing burnout. The first step is to recognize the signs!
What Is Healthcare Worker Burnout?
As a healthcare worker, it is highly likely your workload has gone up, and your support has declined, creating more stress than ever before. Have you been feeling overly tired? Unappreciated in the workplace? Have you noticed a lack of motivation or found yourself apprehensive about going to work? While these feelings can have many causes, you are likely experiencing healthcare worker burnout - and you are not alone.
Medical burnout figures have been reported as higher than 70% of workers feeling at least moderate burnout as of 2018, seen in a poll conducted by the Medical Group Management Association. This figure does not take into account the Covid-19 pandemic and added stressors that accompany it, which would inherently increase burnout due to increased stressors in the field.
Despite the concept of burnout being around for decades, the World Health Organization only added the term “burn-out syndrome” to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) in 2019. Burnout Syndrome is thoroughly examined in this article, but essentially healthcare worker burnout is sustained workplace stress that is not managed. It involves feeling exhausted, increasing mental distance and negativity towards your job, and reduced professional efficacy.
While burnout can happen in any occupation, healthcare workers tend to see the highest rates — which is why the term “healthcare burnout” has become so prevalent. Within medical professions, doctor burnout and nurse burnout are very common. Yet the ancillary healthcare professions are greatly affected as well, ranging from imaging professionals (x-ray, CT scan, etc.), environmental services, respiratory therapists, medical billing, or dietary workers, just to name a few.
Burnout can begin to develop as early in your career as school, especially if you are uncertain that this is the correct career path for you. Try our career test if you would like some guidance.
Related: How Do I Know If Being a Nurse is Right For Me?
What Are The Causes Of Burnout In Healthcare Workers?
Each profession has a varying set of causes of burnout, yet generalized external causes of healthcare worker burnout include larger workloads and greater worker-patient ratios, staffing shortages, time pressure and constant fast-paced environments, complex patient cases and poor patient outcomes, long shifts, lack of support, lack of resources, and feeling underappreciated.
Personal factors can also ignite burnout, especially when paired with these external causes. These include perfectionism, an intense desire to please others, ignoring one's own needs, having too high of expectations for oneself, and creating a poor work-life balance.
A large variety of occupations are encompassed by the term healthcare worker, including those who do not provide direct care to others. Medical professionals who are tasked with caring for others during times of trauma and distress can develop caregiver burnout even if they work within optimal working conditions. This is because the emotional stress associated with dealing with the pain of others can become overwhelming.
What Are The Signs Of Burnout In Healthcare Workers?
Many signs may indicate that you are experiencing healthcare worker burnout. These are broad and can be an indication of a differential diagnosis, but it is important to be aware of these signs.
Burnout Healthcare Workers Signs:
- Extreme fatigue
- Anxiety
- Lack of motivation
- Detachment from work and/or patients
- Poor sleeping habits
- Feeling dread about work
- Irritability or anger
- Increased conflict, either professionally or at home
- Getting sick more often, including colds, headaches, and gastrointestinal disorders
- Crying easily
- Reduced work performance
- Jaw clenching or teeth grinding
Extended exposure to stressors can also have implications such as increased substance abuse (alcohol or other substances), higher blood pressure, an increase in developing type 2 diabetes, depression, and PTSD-like symptoms. Sadly, studies are starting to reveal that even suicide is on the rise in the healthcare community.
Healthcare workers are also prone to compassion fatigue, which can happen without burnout. But if compassion fatigue is left untreated, signs of full-blown burnout syndrome are likely to develop.
If any of this sounds like you, because the medical and psychological impact of burnout syndrome can be severe, we encourage you to take a self-assessment to determine where you stand on the spectrum — before things get worse.
How Does Burnout In Healthcare Workers Impact Others?
High stress and burnout in healthcare workers do not only impact the worker. Patients can inadvertently be negatively impacted. Since workers are feeling depleted and less engaged with their work, they are less likely to actively listen and connect with their patients. This leads to poor care, diminished patient satisfaction, an increase in medical errors, and an increase in malpractice suits and other costs for the organization. According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, the healthcare industry is paying $4.6 billion annually related to physician burnout alone.
How Has The Covid Pandemic Impacted Medical Burnout?
Expectedly, the Covid pandemic has only magnified the prevalence of burnout. Increased demands have led to more intense shifts. There has been an explosion in critically ill patients with more complex care. Sometimes, these workers will have to layer personal protective equipment (PPE) and then enter rooms alone to care for those who cannot do anything for themselves. Seeing so many patients with poor prognoses can be disheartening and traumatic.
The lack of PPE has been particularly impactful, causing workers to put their personal health and safety on the line to care for patients. Supply chains have been shaken, leading to a suboptimal supply of many materials such as ventilators, saline, and iodine contrast.
How Can Medical Worker Burnout Be Prevented?
The prevention of healthcare worker burnout is critical. While there are steps an individual can take to help prevent getting burnt out at work (discussed below in the treatment section), in most cases, prevention needs to be taken at the systemic level. There may not be anything a hospital or medical center can do to reduce workloads (without an infusion of money, at least), but they can take steps to help improve the well-being and mental health of the healthcare professionals within their employ.
The American Medical Association indicates that the odds of experiencing burnout are lowered by almost 60% when individuals feel valued by their organization. There is a large return on investment when organizations take time to invest in their workers by removing the stigma of admitting burnout and the need for help; supplying resources such as free, anonymous counseling and material on breathing techniques or meditation; creating spaces for workers to take a break and decompress; encouraging leaders to routinely ask their workers how they are feeling; acknowledge your workers and their accomplishments; or implementing regular screening for mental issues like burnout, depression, or suicidal ideation.
How Can Medical Burnout Be Treated?
Each case of burnout is deeply individualized, which means that no two cases will be effectively treated the same way. However, there are many effective treatments to try. These include:
Healthcare worker burnout has reached a crisis level. Shining a light on this can help prevent and even create a decline in burnout. You can start by being honest with yourself and taking note of your mental state. Our burnout test can help you identify your needs and make positive changes for yourself.
Learn More about Professional Burnout
