Being a physician is difficult work, and can take a toll on an individual over the years if the causes of burnout are not adequately addressed. Those who work in medical care, particularly as physicians, know that burnout is a common problem. According to some research, over half of physicians suffer from burnout. This, of course, raises concerns about the effect of burnout on physician performance.
According to experts in the field, burnout can increase the likelihood of career dissatisfaction, stress at home, and surgical error. Patients are bound to pick up on physician burnout, and this often translates into less compliance from patients.
What exactly causes burnout among physicians? It’s hard to say exactly, and the causes are surely variable, but experts say one important factor is moral distress or “values dissonance” triggered by the work physicians do day in, day out. Values dissonance occurs when the care physicians are delivering to patients is care they would want for themselves or their loved ones.
Whatever the causes of physician burnout, patients can end up worse off for it due to a failure to provide reasonable care. When this happens, patients and their loved ones have the right to be fairly compensated for their injuries and losses.
Working with experienced legal counsel is critical in any case involving serious patient injury. An experienced attorney can look at the facts of the case and help determine the best course of action. If this means pursuing medical malpractice litigation, an experienced attorney can help an injured patient has the best possible representation in his or her case.
