Research links physician burnout with self-reported errors and career satisfaction, but less is known about the impact of burnout on patient care outcomes. In a study led by Dr. Lawrence Casalino, professor emeritus of population health sciences, researchers found better care outcomes among doctors who experienced burnout than among those who had never having experienced burnout.
The study, published in Health Affairs, examined care outcomes from Medicare claims data – specifically ambulatory care-sensitive admissions; ambulatory care-sensitive emergency department (ED) visits; readmission; and cost – and linked these outcomes to physician survey results examining self-reported burnout and physician callousness. Results indicated that physicians who reported having experienced any level of burnout had better care outcomes (i.e., lower rates of patient sensitive admissions and readmissions) than physicians who reported never having had experienced burnout.
When asked about these findings, Dr. Casalino and his colleagues reported to MedPage Today that more research is needed to understand the complex relationships between physician burnout and patient outcomes, and that one explanation for their findings may be that physicians who experience burnout may deliver better care because they are especially conscientious providers. “This effort, and their concern about their patients,” Casalino explains, “may be stressful and produce a feeling of burnout, particularly when physicians experience time pressure or other obstacles to providing care.”
Despite these findings, Casalino emphasizes the need to still address physician burnout, “I don’t think this article weakens the case for preventing burnout among physicians. It makes the case that under current conditions, conscientious physicians get better outcomes for their patients, at a high cost to themselves. It’s not a situation that should continue.”