Which Medical Specialties are the Most Affected by Burnout?

When we go to the doctor, be it for a regular appointment or for an emergency, we expect to receive the safest and most effective medical care possible. While in most cases, people may receive the accepted standard of care, sometimes providers make an entirely preventable mistake. A far too common culprit behind these mistakes is physician burnout, which is often linked to substandard care. At times, it also leads to lethal consequences for the patient.

The American Medical Association (AMA) defines burnout as a long-term stress reaction that includes feelings of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (i.e., a lack of empathy for or negative attitudes toward patients), and a decreased sense of personal achievement. Because of how harmful and dangerous it is, the AMA has been working to reduce burnout by identifying and implementing solutions, like removing unnecessary obstacles that increase work-related stressors.

Although the agency’s tactics have made a positive impact so far (according to a recent survey, 48.2% of physicians reported experiencing at least one burnout-related symptom in 2023, down from 53% in 2022), there are six specialties that still stand out for having the highest percentage of burnout. These specialties are:

• Emergency medicine
• Internal medicine
• Obstetrics and gynecology
• Family medicine
• Pediatrics
• Hospital medicine

The AMA’s survey found that 56.5% of emergency room doctors, 51.4% of internal medicine practitioners, 51.2% of gynecologists and obstetricians, 51% of family medicine doctors, 46.9% of pediatricians, and 44% of doctors practicing in hospital medicine reported experiencing job-related burnout. While each of these specialties did report lower rates of burnout in 2023 than during the previous year, it is still far too prevalent a problem in medicine with too many physicians being affected.

The National Library of Medicine, or NLM, says that several primary factors contribute most to burnout. These include a physician’s loss of autonomy at work, decreased control over the work environment, inefficient use of time resulting from administrative requirements, and loss of support from colleagues. Burnout does not just affect the physicians themselves – it also affects (and endangers) the physician’s patients. The NLM found a “strong bidirectional” relationship between how much burnout a physician reports experiencing and the incidence of medical errors. The library also found that making an error often leads to feelings of distress, which in turn can lead to making a mistake all over again.

Combatting Burnout

According to one study, approximately 400,000 hospitalized patients experience some type of preventable harm each year and another 200,000 (or more) die from preventable medical errors. Some of the most common and deadly types of medical mistakes include:

• Failure to diagnose a condition or medical event. For example, our client’s family doctor failed to notice that the patient was showing signs of an impending heart attack. Instead, the doctor said that our client was experiencing indigestion. Our client lost his life because his doctor failed to diagnose him. You can read more about this case at: https://www.galfandberger.com/verdicts/Medical-Malpractice/19-2/
• Wrong site surgery. As hard as it may be to believe, wrong-site surgeries (when a provider performs surgery on the wrong part of the body or the wrong side of the body) do happen. While national numbers vary, estimates suggest that there are as many as 40 wrong site surgeries occur each week
• Treating the wrong patient. When one patient’s identity gets confused with another’s, medical personnel may administer the wrong medication or even perform the wrong procedure
• When a doctor misdiagnoses a patient’s condition, the results can be catastrophic. For example, our client was misdiagnosed with cancer after a doctor biopsied a sore in their mouth. Our client underwent extensive neck and mouth surgery, but additional testing during the procedure revealed that our client, in fact, did not have cancer. More details about this case can be found at: https://www.galfandberger.com/verdicts/Medical-Malpractice/17-2/
• Leaving a surgical tool inside of a patient’s body. According to one study, providers have left items including surgical sponges, clamps, retractors, scalpels, drain tips, and scissors inside patients. In some cases, it can take months for a patient to experience the side effects that result from having a surgical tool left in their body. In others, the aftermath is swift and disastrous
• Equipment (like x-ray machines, medical devices, vital sign monitors, heart defibrillators, and many more) failures. In one tragic case, our attorneys represented the grieving family of a five-month-old infant who passed away after doctors failed to recognize that the device they implanted in his heart was not working properly. Not only were our attorneys able to find that the device was defective, but also that it was the incorrect choice for the specific procedure that the young patient needed. To read more, visit: https://www.galfandberger.com/verdicts/medical-malpractice/multi-million-dollar-failed-heart-device-case/

The AMA looked at what one hospital – most notably one with far lower burnout rates than the national average – did to improve job satisfaction and fight burnout head-on. The hospital organized an engagement and well-being committee to address physicians’ concerns, reduced administrative burdens by investing in virtual scribes (virtual scribes are remote medical professional who documents patient records), recognized personnel to make them feel valued, and prioritized and maintained open communication in the workplace. By taking steps like this, it is possible to combat medical burnout and limit preventable mistakes.

When Should You Contact an Attorney?

Medical malpractice is when a provider like a doctor, nurse, technician, surgical center or hospital deviates from the accepted standard of care, causing injury, illness, or death to the patient. Our attorneys have been representing victims of medical malpractice for decades. If you or one of your loved ones wants to learn more about filing a medical malpractice claim, we can help. Contact a representative online now for assistance.

Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Galfand Berger, LLP, Representing Injured Victims Since 1947

Contact the Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys at Galfand Berger LLP today. Call us at 800-222-USWA (8792) or fill out our online form for a free consultation. Located in Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and Reading, we serve clients throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Allentown and Harrisburg.