Physician’s guide to healthcare reform

The level of burnout for physicians has decreased markedly in recent years, but is still higher than most professions. What steps can be taken for preventing physician burnout? A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2025 reported that 45.2% of physicians reported at least one symptom of burnout in 2023, compared to 62.8% in 2021.

Differentiation from depression

Burnout is different from depression, although there can be overlap between the two. Symptoms of burnout include emotional exhaustion, physical exhaustion, loss of sense of purpose and depersonalization, which is described as cynicism toward work, patients and coworkers.

“Burnout is actually a normal reaction to a chaotic and stressful work environment,” says Christine Sinsky, MD, who served as AMA vice president of professional satisfaction and was one of the authors of the Mayo Clinic study. “Burnout is not a medical illness.” 

Depression, on the other hand, is a mental health disorder. Its impact is broader, generally affecting all areas of life. The causes of depression include biological, psychological and social factors. Treatment of depression often includes a combination of medication and therapy, whereas burnout can often improve by changing work conditions or practicing stress management techniques.

After adjusting for age, gender, relationship status and hours worked, the study found that physicians were 82.3% more likely to experience burnout than U.S. workers in other occupations.

Female physicians were about 27% more at risk for burnout than male physicians. In addition, physicians who are in groups that are under-represented in medicine are more likely to experience burnout.  

Specific causes of burnout

Researchers isolated specific causes of burnout, including:

Administrative burdens: Documentation demands of electronic health records, prior authorization requirements

Long working hours and volume of patients: Pressure to see more patients per unit time, and more patients with chronic diseases

Less control over work life: Particularly occurring with physicians who are employed by large organizations

Shrinking levels of reimbursement: May include lower payment rates from Medicare and less coverage of services by Medicaid 

Feeling undervalued: Particularly by hospital administrators; often accompanied by a feeling of lack of support

Specialties with most and least stress

The AMA conducted a survey of medical specialties to assess the level of stress. The specialties reporting the highest levels of burnout were emergency medicine, hospital medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology and internal medicine. Ophthalmology and plastic surgery were among the least stressful specialties.

Techniques to alleviate burnout

Techniques for dealing with stress can be individual or systemic. On the individual level, approaches include talking with friends and family, more sleep, exercise, better diet, journaling, meditation and other mindfulness and relaxation techniques. 

On a systemic level, organizations could utilize a committee and individuals (such as chief wellness officers) to study and monitor stressors and burnout. Feedback would be provided to people in the organization. Improved scheduling can provide more flexibility and satisfaction to staff. Providing additional staff can reduce administrative burdens on physicians such for charting and obtaining prior authorizations. 

An article in the Journal of Healthcare Leadership by Louise Underdahl and her colleagues emphasized the importance of good communication. “Supportive leadership and a sense of independence—or choice—are vital for mitigating anxiety, depression and burnout. When physicians perceive a lack of support from their organizations or feel that their opinions are not valued, burnout rates increase.” •