Burnout continues to be a significant problem for internal medicine doctors, according to a new study.
The research found 10% of internal medicine physicians in the United States reported having the three signs of burnout: emotional exhaustion, feelings of decreased personal achievement and depersonalization — a lack of empathy and negative feelings toward patients. The risk of burnout was similar for doctors working in inpatient or outpatient settings, in primary care clinics or hospitals or at Veterans Affairs facilities, according to the study.
The research, published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine, is significant given the need for physicians is expected to spike by about 17% this year, primarily due to population growth and the aging of the population. The total number of doctors in 2025 is projected to fall 40,000 to 90,000 short of what is needed. The shortage will be between 12,500 and 31,000 for primary care physicians this year, according to a 2023 report. By 2036, the physician shortage in the U.S. is expected to reached 86,000 doctors.
The new study follows recent reports that suggest physician burnout has been improving since COVID-19. A study published last month looked at physician burnout between 2011 and 2023, and found the overall prevalence was about 45% in 2023, after a peak of nearly 63% during the height of the pandemic in 2021. In a 2024 Medscape survey, 49% of doctors reported being burned out and 20% said they were depressed, down from 53% who reported burnout and 23% who reported depression in 2023.
The new study found burnout among internal medicine doctors was higher in the West, at 15%, compared to 9% in the Northeast. The researchers surveyed 629 internal medicine physicians that they found through an American Medical Association database.
A 2024 article in the New England Journal of Medicine called on hospital systems and medical schools to develop evidence-based ways to address physician well-being, such as interventions to monitor workload, policies to improve caregiving and parental leave and the elimination of policies that keep physicians from seeking mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
The AMA has been pushing for legislation to protect the privacy of doctors, residents and medical students seeking help for burnout and other mental health issues. Virginia, Arizona, South Dakota, Indiana, Georgia and Minnesota have enacted laws intended to help physicians with career fatigue and wellbeing.