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I came across this article and found it to be pretty interesting:
http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/Mobile/article.aspx?articleid=1351351#ioi120042f1
Here is the part I found to be the most important:
"Collectively, the findings of this national study indicate that (1) the prevalence of burnout among US physicians is at an alarming level, (2) physicians in specialties at the front line of care access (emergency medicine, general internal medicine, and family medicine) are at greatest risk, (3) physicians work longer hours and have greater struggles with work-life integration than other US workers, and (4) after adjusting for hours worked per week, higher levels of education and professional degrees seem to reduce the risk for burnout in fields outside of medicine, whereas a degree in medicine (MD or DO) increases the risk. These results suggest that the experience of burnout among physicians does not simply mirror larger societal trends.
Burnout can have serious personal repercussions for physicians, including problematic alcohol use, broken relationships, and suicidal ideation.10,11,28 When considered with the mounting evidence that physician burnout adversely affects quality of care,4,6,29- 35 these findings suggest a highly prevalent and systemic problem threatening the foundation of the US medical care system. The fact that almost 1 in 2 US physicians has symptoms of burnout implies that the origins of this problem are rooted in the environment and care delivery system rather than in the personal characteristics of a few susceptible individuals. Policy makers and health care organizations must address the problem of physician burnout for the sake of physicians and their patients.4,36
Unfortunately, little evidence exists about how to address this problem. Although extensive literature suggests that contributors include excessive workload, loss of autonomy, inefficiency due to excessive administrative burdens, a decline in the sense of meaning that physicians derive from work, and difficulty integrating personal and professional life,9 few interventions have been tested. Most of the available literature focuses on individual interventions centered on stress reduction training37 rather than organizational interventions38,39 designed to address the system factors that result in high burnout rates. Efforts to promote self-awareness and meaning seem promising40- 43 but may not appeal to all physicians and have typically required investment of personal time that is already in short supply for physicians. Efforts to date have been further limited by short-term follow-up periods, small sample sizes, or nonrandomized study designs. Limited funding for such studies has severely undermined the quality of research in this area."
http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/Mobile/article.aspx?articleid=1351351#ioi120042f1
Here is the part I found to be the most important:
"Collectively, the findings of this national study indicate that (1) the prevalence of burnout among US physicians is at an alarming level, (2) physicians in specialties at the front line of care access (emergency medicine, general internal medicine, and family medicine) are at greatest risk, (3) physicians work longer hours and have greater struggles with work-life integration than other US workers, and (4) after adjusting for hours worked per week, higher levels of education and professional degrees seem to reduce the risk for burnout in fields outside of medicine, whereas a degree in medicine (MD or DO) increases the risk. These results suggest that the experience of burnout among physicians does not simply mirror larger societal trends.
Burnout can have serious personal repercussions for physicians, including problematic alcohol use, broken relationships, and suicidal ideation.10,11,28 When considered with the mounting evidence that physician burnout adversely affects quality of care,4,6,29- 35 these findings suggest a highly prevalent and systemic problem threatening the foundation of the US medical care system. The fact that almost 1 in 2 US physicians has symptoms of burnout implies that the origins of this problem are rooted in the environment and care delivery system rather than in the personal characteristics of a few susceptible individuals. Policy makers and health care organizations must address the problem of physician burnout for the sake of physicians and their patients.4,36
Unfortunately, little evidence exists about how to address this problem. Although extensive literature suggests that contributors include excessive workload, loss of autonomy, inefficiency due to excessive administrative burdens, a decline in the sense of meaning that physicians derive from work, and difficulty integrating personal and professional life,9 few interventions have been tested. Most of the available literature focuses on individual interventions centered on stress reduction training37 rather than organizational interventions38,39 designed to address the system factors that result in high burnout rates. Efforts to promote self-awareness and meaning seem promising40- 43 but may not appeal to all physicians and have typically required investment of personal time that is already in short supply for physicians. Efforts to date have been further limited by short-term follow-up periods, small sample sizes, or nonrandomized study designs. Limited funding for such studies has severely undermined the quality of research in this area."
