Health Worker Burnout
Our health depends on the well-being of our health workforce. Let’s take care of those who are always there to care for us.
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Why health worker burnout matters
The realities of our health care system are driving many health workers to burnout. They are at an increased risk for mental health challenges and choosing to leave the health workforce early. They work in distressing environments that strain their physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. This will make it harder for patients to get care when they need it.
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Causes of burnout
Workplace systems cause burnout among health workers. There are a range of societal, cultural, structural, and organizational factors that contribute to burnout among health workers. Some examples include: excessive workloads, administrative burdens, limited say in scheduling, and lack of organizational support.
Workforce shortages
Physician demand will continue to grow faster than supply, leading to a shortage of between 54,100 and 139,000 physicians by 2033. The most alarming gaps are expected in primary care and rural communities. (Source: The Association of American Medical Colleges, 2020)
Differential impacts on health workers
Burnout, resource shortages, and high risk for severe COVID-19 infections have unevenly impacted women and health workers of color. This is due to pre-existing inequities around social determinants of health, exacerbated by the pandemic.
Health worker burnout harms all of us
If not addressed, the health worker burnout crisis will make it harder for patients to get care when they need it, cause health costs to rise, hinder our ability to prepare for the next public health emergency, and worsen health disparities.
Health worker well-being Q&A with Dr. Murthy
Burnout is characterized by a high degree of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (i.e., cynicism) and a low sense of personal accomplishment at work. Anyone can experience burnout, yet it is especially worrisome among health workers because of potential impacts on our healthcare system and our collective well-being. Burnout is associated with risk of mental health challenges, such as anxiety and depression. However, burnout is not an individual mental health diagnosis. Burnout is a workplace issue that calls for systems-oriented, organizational-level solutions.
Check in with the health workers you know. Help them stay connected. Ask them how they are doing and how you can help them. Pay attention to warning signs that indicate that they may need professional support from a mental health provider. Common behaviors to watch out for are: increased irritability, withdrawal from friends and family, impaired judgment, excessive alcohol or substance use, reduced ability to manage emotions and impulses, and decreased personal hygiene.
To reduce strain on the healthcare system and health workers, take care of your health as much as possible and follow local public health guidelines. As a patient, be kind to health workers. Acknowledging the pressure that health workers are experiencing can go a long way.
Burnout among health workers has harmful consequences for patient care and safety. This includes decreased time spent between provider and patient, increased medical errors and hospital-acquired infections among patients, and staffing shortages.
We know that burnout is costly at a human and a systemic level, but it can be difficult to assess, and is not consistently measured. My advisory calls for the related organizations and institutions to regularly assess, measure, and intervene to prevent burnout.
The National Academy of Medicine Resource Compendium for Health Worker Well-Being offers a collection of evidence-based measurement tools for organizations to use. Data should be confidential and evaluated by race, ethnicity, age, departmental units, role, and levels of seniority to understand differences and help identify tailored interventions.
Health care organizations can implement evidence-based policies, programs, and solutions that identify, address, and help prevent burnout for health workers. There are many opportunities to strengthen organizational cultures and environments to be safer, more generous, and more just for all health workers.
We can begin by listening to health workers and seeking their involvement to improve processes, workflows, and organizational culture. Institutions can: build in time for and encourage all health workers on staff to take paid leave, sick leave, family leave, and rest breaks; establish a zero-tolerance policy for violence; prioritize adequate personal protective equipment; increase work schedule flexibility and autonomy; and combat bias, racism, and discrimination in the workplace. Download the advisory for further information.
How can we take action?
Today, we all have a role to play in preventing health worker burnout. Together, we have the capacity—and the responsibility—to provide our health workforce with all that they need to heal and to thrive.
Ways to act based on your role
What health care organizations can do:
- Build a commitment to the health and safety of health workers into the fabric of health organizations.
- Review and revise policies to ensure health workers are not deterred from seeking appropriate care for their physical health, mental health, and/or substance use challenges.
- Increase access to high-quality, confidential mental health and substance use care for all health workers.
- Rebuild community and social connection among health workers to mitigate burnout and feelings of loneliness and isolation.
- Combat bias, racism, and discrimination in the workplace.
- Invest in health prevention and social services to address health inequities.
What governments can do:
- Invest in evidence-based practices, plans, and partnerships that ensure the health, safety, and well-being of health workers.
- Address punitive policies that deter health workers from seeking mental health and substance use care. Increase access to quality, confidential mental health and substance use care for all health workers.
- Reduce administrative burdens contributing to health worker burnout.
- Recruit, expand, and retain a diverse health care and public health workforce to meet current and future health challenges.
- Commit to a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to adequately prepare public health, health care systems, and health workers for future public health emergencies.
What health insurers can do:
- Improve the quality of health care by supporting both the quality and quantity of time that health workers can spend with patients.
- Reduce the administrative burden posed by prior authorization requests and other documentation and reporting requirements.
- Ensure health workers have access to quality mental health and substance use care.
- Partner with health care delivery organizations to improve clinical care and preventive services.
- Increase transparency for health care providers to make better health decisions.
What health care technology companies can do:
- Design technology to serve the needs of health workers, care teams, and patients across the continuum of care.
- Design platforms with the goal of interoperability at the outset.
- Strengthen integration of data across different platforms and health sectors.
- Improve seamless storage of and access to health data.
What educational institutions can do:
- Prioritize, assess, and support learner well-being.
- Acknowledge the hidden curriculum within health professional education and address the impact it has on trainee development and well-being.
- Promote and increase access to mental health and substance use care for health professional learners and faculty.
- Respond to the unique needs of students and promote inclusion and diversity to support well-being for all.
- Strengthen connection between trainees and the communities they serve to mitigate burnout and build trust and connection.
- Accreditation organizations can revise clinician accreditation standards to recognize and communicate the importance of health worker well-being.
What family, friends, and communities can do:
- Learn to recognize when a health worker you know needs support.
- Protect your health and the health of your family.
- Follow local public health guidelines.
- Help friends and family do their part to support health workers.
- As a patient, be kind to health workers.
What health workers can do:
- Learn to recognize the signs of distress, mental health challenges, and burnout in yourself and in your colleagues.
- Stay connected and reach out for help.
- Prioritize moments of joy and connection.
- Get back to basics with good health habits.
- Use your voice to advocate for positive changes in your workplace, learning environment, or communities.
What researchers can do:
- Call for further coordinated research to develop a national, validated tool to regularly assess, measure, track, and respond to health worker burnout and well-being across settings.
- Improve our understanding of the immediate and long-term impacts of the pandemic on health worker well-being.
- Further research on the role of payment models, technology, and private equity in shaping health worker well-being.
- Improve our understanding of how to develop and apply health information technology (IT) that more effectively supports health workers in the delivery of care.
Ways to act based on your role
What health care organizations can do:
- Build a commitment to the health and safety of health workers into the fabric of health organizations.
- Review and revise policies to ensure health workers are not deterred from seeking appropriate care for their physical health, mental health, and/or substance use challenges.
- Increase access to high-quality, confidential mental health and substance use care for all health workers.
- Rebuild community and social connection among health workers to mitigate burnout and feelings of loneliness and isolation.
- Combat bias, racism, and discrimination in the workplace.
- Invest in health prevention and social services to address health inequities.
What governments can do:
- Invest in evidence-based practices, plans, and partnerships that ensure the health, safety, and well-being of health workers.
- Address punitive policies that deter health workers from seeking mental health and substance use care. Increase access to quality, confidential mental health and substance use care for all health workers.
- Reduce administrative burdens contributing to health worker burnout.
- Recruit, expand, and retain a diverse health care and public health workforce to meet current and future health challenges.
- Commit to a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to adequately prepare public health, health care systems, and health workers for future public health emergencies.
What health insurers can do:
- Improve the quality of health care by supporting both the quality and quantity of time that health workers can spend with patients.
- Reduce the administrative burden posed by prior authorization requests and other documentation and reporting requirements.
- Ensure health workers have access to quality mental health and substance use care.
- Partner with health care delivery organizations to improve clinical care and preventive services.
- Increase transparency for health care providers to make better health decisions.
What health care technology companies can do:
- Design technology to serve the needs of health workers, care teams, and patients across the continuum of care.
- Design platforms with the goal of interoperability at the outset.
- Strengthen integration of data across different platforms and health sectors.
- Improve seamless storage of and access to health data.
What educational institutions can do:
- Prioritize, assess, and support learner well-being.
- Acknowledge the hidden curriculum within health professional education and address the impact it has on trainee development and well-being.
- Promote and increase access to mental health and substance use care for health professional learners and faculty.
- Respond to the unique needs of students and promote inclusion and diversity to support well-being for all.
- Strengthen connection between trainees and the communities they serve to mitigate burnout and build trust and connection.
- Accreditation organizations can revise clinician accreditation standards to recognize and communicate the importance of health worker well-being.
What family, friends, and communities can do:
- Learn to recognize when a health worker you know needs support.
- Protect your health and the health of your family.
- Follow local public health guidelines.
- Help friends and family do their part to support health workers.
- As a patient, be kind to health workers.
What health workers can do:
- Learn to recognize the signs of distress, mental health challenges, and burnout in yourself and in your colleagues.
- Stay connected and reach out for help.
- Prioritize moments of joy and connection.
- Get back to basics with good health habits.
- Use your voice to advocate for positive changes in your workplace, learning environment, or communities.
What researchers can do:
- Call for further coordinated research to develop a national, validated tool to regularly assess, measure, track, and respond to health worker burnout and well-being across settings.
- Improve our understanding of the immediate and long-term impacts of the pandemic on health worker well-being.
- Further research on the role of payment models, technology, and private equity in shaping health worker well-being.
- Improve our understanding of how to develop and apply health information technology (IT) that more effectively supports health workers in the delivery of care.
Spread the word with these shareable tools
A short video capturing the urgency and toll of health worker burnout by the U.S. Surgeon General.Watch video
This graphic communicates how health worker burnout negatively impacts health workers, patients, health care systems, and communities.Download [JPG, 1.5 MB]Download [PDF, 731 KB]
This graphic communicates the systems-level factors that contribute to health worker burnout.Download [JPG, 1.5 MB]Download [PDF, 467 KB]
This graphic communicates how individuals, communities, and organizations can work together to reduce health worker burnout.Download [JPG, 465 KB]Download [PDF, 1.1 MB]
This infographic shows the amount of time that doctors and nurses spend on patient care documentation.Download [JPG, 1.1 MB]Download [PDF, 680 KB]
Additional resources for
Lifeline Resources
If you are experiencing an emergency, get immediate support (available 24/7):
- Call at 1-800-273-8255
- Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio 1-888-628-9454
- Chat with trained counselors
- Get help in other ways through the Lifeline
- Call 1-800-985-5990 (marque 2 para español)
- More information on the Disaster Distress Helpline
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Resource Compendium for Health Care Worker Well-Being
The National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience offers a collection of resources and tools for health care leaders and workers to reduce burnout and improve clinician well-being.
Resources for Healthcare Professionals
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) provides health workers with resources for mental health and well-being support.