Data and Statistics for Advocacy

Burnout

1. 78% of physicians surveyed said they experience some symptoms of burnout (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2019) 

2. Physicians experiencing burnout are more likely to reduce their work hours or leave the profession (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2019) 

3. A meta-analysis found that 28% of residents screened positive for depression and 60% screened positive for burnout (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2021) 

4. 2020 Medical Economics® Physician Burnout Survey found that 71% of physicians felt burned out (Medical Economics, 2021)  

5. When physicians were asked what causes their burnout, 31% said too much paperwork and government/payer regulations, 15% said poor work-life balance/too many hours, 12% said COVID-19 pandemic (Medical Economics, 2021)  

6. 61% of physicians report often experiencing feelings of burnout (The Physicians Foundation, 2021) 

7. 76% of health care workers reported exhaustion in September 2020 (NIHCM, 2021)  

8. 79% of physicians said their burnout began before the pandemic (NIHCM, 2021)  

9. The suicide rate among physicians is two times higher than the general public (NIHCM, 2021) 

10. Studies from the United States found that burnout rates are significantly higher among physicians than people in other careers, even after adjusting for work hours and other factors (Journal of Internal Medicine, 2018)  Dream it.

Organizational Impacts

1. The US could see an estimated shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034 (AAMC, 2021)  

2. Physician burnout is associated with decreased productivity and more than doubled self-reported intent to leave one’s current practice for reasons other than retirement (Journal of Internal Medicine, 2018)  

3. At an organizational level, the annual economic cost associated with burnout related to turnover and reduced clinical hours is approximately $7600 per physician each year (Annals of Internal Medicine, 2019)  

4. When physicians leave the field, it is estimated that the practice loses $500,000 - $1,000,000 in revenue (Texas Heart Institute Journal, 2018) 

5. The cost for recruiting a replacement physician is around $90,000 (Texas Heart Institute Journal, 2018)  

6. Approximately $4.6 billion a year related to physician turnover and reduced productivity is attributable to physician burnout in the United States (Annals of Interal Medicine, 2019)