May 26, 2022
On May 24, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, issued an advisory highlighting the urgent need to address the health worker burnout crisis in the United States.
The Surgeon General’s Advisory Addressing Health Worker Burnout lays out recommendations to address the factors underpinning burnout, improve health worker well-being, and strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure.
“The nation’s health depends on the well-being of our health workforce,” Murthy said. “Confronting the long-standing drivers of burnout among our health workers must be a top national priority. COVID-19 has been a uniquely traumatic experience for the health workforce and for their families, pushing them past their breaking point. Now, we owe them a debt of gratitude and action. And if we fail to act, we will place our nation’s health at risk.”
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, health workers were experiencing alarming levels of burnout – broadly defined as a state of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low sense of personal accomplishment at work. Burnout can also be associated with mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression.
In 2019, the National Academies of Medicine (NAM) reported that burnout had reached “crisis” levels, with up to 54% of nurses and physicians, and up to 60% of medical students and residents, suffering from burnout. The pandemic has since affected the mental health of health workers nationwide, with more than 50% of public health workers reporting symptoms of at least one mental health condition, such as anxiety, depression, and increased levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Health worker burnout not only harms individual workers, but also threatens the nation’s public health infrastructure. Already, Americans are feeling the impact of staffing shortages across the health system in hospitals, primary care clinics, and public health departments. With more than half a million registered nurses anticipated to retire by the end of 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the need for 1.1 million new registered nurses across the U.S. Further, within the next five years, the country faces a projected national shortage of more than 3 million low-wage health workers. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projects that physician demand will continue to grow faster than supply, leading to a shortage of up to 139,000 physicians by 2033, with the most alarming gaps occurring in primary care.
Topline recommendations to address burnout in the Surgeon General’s Advisory include:
Transform workplace culture to empower health workers and be responsive to their voices and needs.
Eliminate punitive policies for seeking mental health and substance use disorder care.
Protect the health, safety, and well-being of all health workers.
Reduce administrative burdens to help health workers have productive time with patients, communities, and colleagues.
Prioritize social connection and community as a core value of the healthcare system.
Invest in public health and our public health workforce.
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