Combating the Burnout Epidemic

The emotional exhaustion of burnout can have professional and personal consequences for physicians. Burnout can damage morale and lead once-enthusiastic, dedicated doctors to quit practicing medicine completely. It can also lead to depression, alcohol abuse, and thoughts of suicide.

These issues are among the reasons HHS has made it a priority to address physician burnout and why AHRQ has had a longstanding interest in the subject. Since 2001, AHRQ has been funding research on physicians’ working conditions to determine what causes burnout and explore interventions to combat it.