A recent Medscape report indicated that 42 percent of physicians experienced some level of burnout in 2019.
With burnout being more widely reported during the winter months, Leo Rozmaryn, MD, of The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics in Bethesda, Md., outlined strategies for physicians to overcome burnout in an article in MD Magazine.
Physical exhaustion is the most "tell-tale sign" that a physician is experiencing symptoms of burnout, with changes in personality another common signal according to Dr. Rozmaryn.
He champions the importance of exercise or stretching to help reduce anxiety and exhaustion as well as securing a minimum of seven hour sleep each night.
Dr. Rozmaryn also proposes practicing mindfulness, which is linked to improvements in well-being and attitudes about patient-centered care, according to a recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Lastly, he promotes the significance of time away from work, with vacations being essential to break up the winter months and helping physicians stay on top of their game.