Re: Burnout in healthcare: the case for organisational change
We have read with great interest and appreciation the recent paper by Montgomery et al. entitled “Burnout in healthcare: the case for organizational change”.
First of all, the background and conclusions of this work, and perhaps burnout in general, become particularly important when put in the wider perspective of the recent conclusion made by the World Health Organisation: “Global efforts to reduce the burden of patient harm have not achieved substantial change over the past 15 years despite pioneering work in some health care setting”(1). Is burnout one the keys to overcoming this struggle?
Second, the paper may be missing an important point and a risk factor that is out of reach for a single organisation – the frustration induced by bureaucratic and regulatory requirements. In other words, as Kaufmann has put it, governments have taken the fun out of practising medicine (2).
Last but not least, one must remember about personality traits and other work-unrelated factors that make work burnout more likely. Making a long story short, there is a thin line that shall not be crossed by employers when it comes to interventions aimed at tackling burnout.
Also, there is the ongoing and inevitable discussion on what burnout is, is not or whether it exists at all (such as responses to the Samra paper (3)). It seems that the more we look inside the more it isn’t there for some. Both sides have their arguments. However, we would suggest a different approach. Burnout is a combination of numerous factors and we may not and even do not need to understand all of them. Nevertheless, it is a serious risk factor proven to affect countless areas of healthcare delivery. We know more and more about it, we know how to measure it and definitely should try preventing it. Ignoring it – whatever it is – by saying it does not exist is just unwise.
1. Patient Safety. Global Action on patient safety. Report by the Director-General, World Health Organisation, 25 March 2019.
2. Kaufmann M. How to beat bureaucracy-induced burnout. 1 March 2019; https://aadmeetingnews.org/2019-annual-meeting-dailies/how-to-beat-burea...
3. Samra R. Brief history of burnout. BMJ. 2018 Dec 27;363:k5268. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k5268.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
05 August 2019
Jakub Owoc
Assistant Professor
prof. Robert Olszewski, MD
National Institute of Geriatrics, Rheumatology and Rehabilitation
Rapid Response:
Re: Burnout in healthcare: the case for organisational change
We have read with great interest and appreciation the recent paper by Montgomery et al. entitled “Burnout in healthcare: the case for organizational change”.
First of all, the background and conclusions of this work, and perhaps burnout in general, become particularly important when put in the wider perspective of the recent conclusion made by the World Health Organisation: “Global efforts to reduce the burden of patient harm have not achieved substantial change over the past 15 years despite pioneering work in some health care setting”(1). Is burnout one the keys to overcoming this struggle?
Second, the paper may be missing an important point and a risk factor that is out of reach for a single organisation – the frustration induced by bureaucratic and regulatory requirements. In other words, as Kaufmann has put it, governments have taken the fun out of practising medicine (2).
Last but not least, one must remember about personality traits and other work-unrelated factors that make work burnout more likely. Making a long story short, there is a thin line that shall not be crossed by employers when it comes to interventions aimed at tackling burnout.
Also, there is the ongoing and inevitable discussion on what burnout is, is not or whether it exists at all (such as responses to the Samra paper (3)). It seems that the more we look inside the more it isn’t there for some. Both sides have their arguments. However, we would suggest a different approach. Burnout is a combination of numerous factors and we may not and even do not need to understand all of them. Nevertheless, it is a serious risk factor proven to affect countless areas of healthcare delivery. We know more and more about it, we know how to measure it and definitely should try preventing it. Ignoring it – whatever it is – by saying it does not exist is just unwise.
1. Patient Safety. Global Action on patient safety. Report by the Director-General, World Health Organisation, 25 March 2019.
2. Kaufmann M. How to beat bureaucracy-induced burnout. 1 March 2019; https://aadmeetingnews.org/2019-annual-meeting-dailies/how-to-beat-burea...
3. Samra R. Brief history of burnout. BMJ. 2018 Dec 27;363:k5268. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k5268.
Competing interests: No competing interests