Burnout and medical errors: 55% of physicians concerned

According to a survey carried out in the United States, 55% of doctors reported having symptoms of burnout. 2,163 (32.8% of respondents) reported excessive fatigue and 427 (6.5% of respondents) reported having had thoughts of suicide recently.

In the United States, medical errors are responsible for 100,000 to 200,000 deaths each year. Faced with what they call “a national epidemic”, Dr. Shanafelt, professor of hematology at Stanford, and his team, looked into the causes of the phenomenon.

To do this, the researchers questioned 6,695 doctors about their professional practice and their state of mind. The results were published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 3,574 rifles, or 55% of respondents, reported having symptoms of burnout. 2,163 (32.8% of respondents) reported excessive fatigue and 427 (6.5% of respondents) reported having had thoughts of suicide recently. In addition, 10% of the cohort reported making at least one major medical error in the past three months.

Cynicism

Figures that make sense, insofar as “doctors suffering from professional burnout are twice as likely to make a medical error as others”, specify the researchers. The doctors questioned are also numerous to have answered that they approached their profession with “cynicism” and “a feeling of reduced efficiency”.

“This study shows that physician burnout must be taken into account to effectively reduce the incidence of medical errors in the United States,” comments Dr Shanafelt. He adds: “in addition to their negative consequences on patients, errors related to burnout also have serious consequences for doctors, such as doubling the risk of suicide.” In the United States, doctors represent, before the military, the profession most affected by suicidee, according to a new study presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting.

No assistance to the person in danger

In France, 175 doctors sent an open letter to Prime Minister Edouard Philippe at the end of June to denounce the lack of resources they suffer on a daily basis. “We alert you to endangering the life of others and non-assistance to anyone in danger. Endangering the population who contact us, and endangering professionals who must fulfill this task without endangering. have the means “, then underlined these professionals. Last January, it was on Twitter that health professionals mobilized with the hashtag #balancetonhosto.

On average, French hospital doctors spend 47 hours per week in their department, and more than 90% feel that their workload is still intensifying. All say they don’t have enough time to take care of their patients, according to a recent Odoxa survey, which also brings to light a more general malaise at work. 47% of hospital staff are afraid of making mistakes for lack of time, and 44% are generally dissatisfied with their work – a rate up 8 points compared to last April.