Primary Care Doctors Report Burn Out

With flu season surging, RSV sending many sick children to the hospital, and Covid-19 still very present, primary care physicians are feeling run down. NBC Medical Fellow Dr. Akshay Syal reports on how doctors are combatting their emotional and physical distress as fears grow over a “tripledemic.”

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#NBCNews #Doctor #Burnout

[ShapewearUSA]

Everyone needs rest. I can understand the burnout. I have been burned out before and I don't even work in health care. I hope these doctors get some relief.

[swsarah]

I'm a counselor in a primary care facility. It's not just the physicians burnt out. It's the nurse/ nurse practitioner, the medical assistant, the front desk, the case manager, even the volunteer. It's waiting months to be seen after the initial referral, and we get to hear the complaints.

[celestedemure]

Another symptom of how awful the for-profit healthcare system is. You have to overbooked yourself to account for any cancellations or any mishap with planning etc. because these companies are actually for-profit businesses, and the goal is to always turn a profit. The people that do the actual physical labor are always the ones that suffer. It’s just these aren’t coal mines or factories. These laborers being overworked could actually cause life and death consequences due to being rushed to get to the next patient or just plain tired. Let’s not forget doctors have some of the highest student debt. And while they make more money typically, they also spend a lot of money in their certifications and recertification training licenses, malpractice insurance both individual as well as whatever their company might pay. Also a lot of people that are doctors are expected to keep a certain appearance as well and that can also be financially burdening. Being spread thin is also why would we go to her appointment sometime we can end up spending an hour in the waiting room after our appointment time for them to catch up. My primary care doctor not telling me about my first mammogram results in which I had lumps. Thank God we found out they were just in completely benign. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be leaving this comment most likely.

[salmahke]

Thank you Nbc for speaking for us health care workers. Health care system in US is collapsing in front of our eyes So many leeches and parasites not involved in direct patient care are destroying health care.

[LL-blhd]

We need universal healthcare NOW. No more millionaire insurance and hospital CEOs.

[mikeslife]

I work in healthcare these doctors and nurses and cna’s work so hard it’s good to see them get credit and recognition

[Machistmo]

And people are angry about others wearing masks. How did we get here?

[carolinallado]

The problem is management short staffed scheduling, 15 min for appointments for complexity is ridiculous, its all about money, never finding solutions to problems, not allowing time off, healthcare work deserve free healthcare and free mental health and mental health accessible, there are multi layered issues with healthcare but a big root of the problem starts with management

[ribsandbbqbeef]

All physicians are burned out (esp ER docs, hospitalists, & intensivists in addition to primary care) ! They’re retiring early if they can, or quitting to do something else. Good luck seeing a real physician in the future. You’ll probably end up seeing some mid level nurse practitioner.

[jeanetteschock]

I broke my humerus couldn't see a Dr for 36 hours because of non vaccinated patients. And trolls stay away.

[rongracilla]

More than therapy, we need to gut the Insurance Companies and All for Profit Hospital Systems who sacrifice compassion, human limits and care for the almighty dollar. End Health Care For Profit NOW!!!

[ccharles]

I’m a respiratory therapist at a Children’s hospital in SoCal. We are so burned out and cold/flu/RSV/COVID is out of control! We are short staffed and the census is very high! Our ER has a 6-8 hour wait all the time now and people are leaving without care for their children due to these awful wait times!

[drtij_dzienz]

Getting therapy sounds like a great way to double your malpractice premiums, be denied life insurance, take on new stigmata like that

[zeeprince]

Just think a $2 mask could have saved millions 😷

[raykahn]

Imagine what would happen if you let people whom want to be doctors study for free or even let them pay it back gradually rather than suffer the burdens of cost upfront. It's almost as we need as many of these people as possible but we don't make it any easier for them to get there.

[DD]

I work at Starbucks and experience burnout out when someone orders 8 frappaccinos, but I never stopped to consider that someone would be experiencing burnout from performing 8 heart transplants😢

[robfreeman]

Volume. Volume RAMMED down our throats. The visits, the documentation, the messages, the lab results, the prior auths. Oh yea, and the imaging results, death certs, refills, and disability forms. The nursing home forms. All of it hundreds of items per day. Every day. Whether we're "on vacation" or not. Come back from a week off and it's piled high to the ceiling. I listen to the triage nurse down the hall, when I have an open spot on my schedule and a chance to catch up on notes/messages. "Sure we can see you for your toenail fungus Dr. ___ has an opening at 1 PM we'll plug you right in." Goodbye break. Our companies are paid based on volume. Just ram them in. No one comprehends what it is like outside of primary care and those in primary care who are bought into it don't want to admit how bad and ridiculous it is because of the cognitive dissonance. It's a charade. A farce. A travesty. Owned by corporations and insurance companies and governments.

This is not "burnout." It is MORAL INJURY. Look it up. We're good people and we work hard, but this is not compatible with our principles. It has to change.

[truthtufftimes]

The chimes are extremely cringy!!! Can’t watch this show!!!!

[judithjermark]

If primary care doctors feel burned out, how do they think their patients feel?

[florinafernandes]

Thank you NBC for recognizing caregiver burnout in healthcare. Therapy is helpful, but only when you have time to get it.