The Mayo Clinic Proceedings study “Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work–Life Integration in Physicians and the General US Working Population,” co-authored by researchers from the AMA, Mayo Clinic, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Stanford Medicine, is the only study to regularly measure physician burnout rates between 2011 and 2023 during a span of substantial disruption in the health care delivery system.
The most recent study in this series found that 45.2% of physicians reported at least one symptom of burnout in 2023 compared to 62.8% in 2021, 38.2% in 2020, 43.9% in 2017, 54.4% in 2014 and 45.5% in 2011.
Burnout among U.S. physicians has improved between 2021 and 2023 and is currently at levels similar to 2017. Despite this, U.S. physicians remain at higher risk for burnout relative to other U.S. workers.
“The ebbing rate of physician burnout is a welcome result of the strides made since the COVID emergency to correct existing systematic flaws in health care that interfere with patient care and inflict a toll on physician well-being,” said AMA President Bruce A. Scott, M.D. “Despite improvements, physician burnout levels remain much higher than other U.S. workers. Continued efforts are needed across the health system to drive policy change, burden relief, workflow enhancement and technology improvement that are essential to fighting the root causes of the physician burnout crisis.”
“The AMA is fighting for physicians and a top priority is solving the physician burnout crisis that is driving early retirements,” said Dr. Scott. “The demands on physicians are unrelenting and the risk of reduced patient access to care is growing. To reduce burnout, the AMA is focused on immediate threats to the physician workforce and health care access, including fixing the broken Medicare payment system that punishes doctors, unburdening physicians from prior authorization and other administrative headaches, and making technology work for physicians. Our goal is a health care system that better supports physicians so we can take the best possible care of our patients.”
The AMA offers physicians and health systems a choice of cutting-edge tools, information and resources to help rekindle a joy in medicine, including:
- AMA STEPS Forward®— a collection of open-access resources and interactive programming covers everything from time-saving strategies and preventing physician burnout to improving practice workflows, building a supportive organizational culture, and implementing digital health solutions that reduce technology-associated administrative burdens.
- Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program—a prestigious AMA-granted distinction in recognition of an organization’s demonstrated efforts to enhance physician well-being by resolving the root causes of work-related burnout.
- Organizational Biopsy® —a free assessment tool and set of services developed by the AMA that assesses burnout levels within health care organizations to provide metrics that can guide solutions and interventions that mitigate system-level burnout rates and improve physician well-being.
The AMA continues to work on every front to address the physician burnout crisis. Through our research, collaborations, advocacy and leadership, the AMA is working on developing and implementing strategies to optimize practice efficiencies, improve patient care, promote professional satisfaction and ensure practice sustainability.
