Physician burnout would have devastating consequences on the quality of care they provide. This is the alarmist conclusion of a meta-analysis, carried out by the English universities of Manchester, Keele, Leeds, Birmingham and Westminster and published on October 1. in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. To arrive at these results, the researchers examined 47 articles analyzing 43,000 responses from doctors on the question.
The observation is clear: doctors who declare themselves to be burnt out are twice as likely to make errors, such as incorrect diagnoses or bad prescriptions.
Risks of bad practices
“As a general practitioner, I am well aware of the impact of stress on clinicians, the individual and their colleagues. This study proves that burnout jeopardizes patient care and patient safety. […] A sick workforce cannot provide good patient care”says Keele general practice research professor Carolyn Chew-Graham on the University website.
A recent General Medical Council report (GMC) – the British medical order – reported that preventable harmful errors occur in 1 in 10 patients. Overwork would in fact double the risk of non-compliance with professional standards and poor practices. Risks that particularly affect young practitioners. Among 52,000 UK junior doctors, one in four trainees said they felt burnout.
An impact on patient satisfaction
Burnout is thus associated with poor quality care and a lack of “professionalism”. Because patient satisfaction is also at stake. The director of the study Maria Panagioti, a researcher from the University of Manchester, explains – still on the Keele site – that this is three times lower when the doctors are physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted. Signs that, according to experts, define burnout. Between 2016 and 2017, public satisfaction with the National Health Service (NHS) – the public health system in the United Kingdom – increased decreased from 63 to 57%.
“Clearly, it is not the fault of the doctorsclaims the researcher. This is due to a combination of factors, including a high workload, the way teams work together, and a lack of measures that improve well-being. But it is also about a performance culture that in recent years has become more prevalent in the medical profession. Doctors are increasingly asked to be supermen, when they are not. » It invites NHS organizations to examine workload, improve teamwork and engage with professionals. “Resilience training, such as mindfulness classes […] funded by healthcare organizations, is also helpful”she adds.
In France, the situation is the same. the association Words from professionals has been studying the phenomenon for several years now. In 2014, she declared that one in three general practitioners is burnt out because of their workload, but also because of the deteriorating doctor-patient relationship. In this new large-scale study, the researchers warn: the lack of empathy linked to the depersonalization of the practitioner can be a source of psychological suffering for the patient.
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