Physician Burnout and Healthy Lifestyle

Many doctors are struggling with burnout, and the problem is only getting worse. UK physicians report high levels of job dissatisfaction and feelings of being overworked and undervalued.

1 This has serious implications for patient care, as burnt out doctors are more likely to make errors, suffer from depression and anxiety, and even leave the profession altogether.2

2.Lifestyle medicine – which focuses on healthy lifestyle choices like diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management – has been shown to be an effective way to prevent and treat burnout.

3 In one study of American doctors, those who adopted a healthy lifestyle had a significantly lower risk of burnout than those who did not.

4 Another study found that doctors who exercised regularly were less likely to experience burnout than those who did not.

5 And a third study found that physicians who followed a healthy diet were also less likely to experience burnout.

6 While there is no silver bullet for the prevention of physician burnout, lifestyle medicine may be a key part of the solution.