• Sunny Abdelmageed, Victoria Jane Horak, Piiamaria S Virtanen, Sandi K Lam, Kim J Burchiel, and Jeffrey S Raskin.
• Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
• World Neurosurg. 2024 May 1; 185: 351358.e2351-358.e2.

BackgroundThe path through neurosurgery is rigorous. Many neurosurgeons may experience burnout, depression, or suicide throughout training and practice. We review the literature to help foster a culture of awareness and self-care and arm trainees with coping skills to reduce burnout and, thus, suicidality during all phases of their medical careers.MethodsA systematic search was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines using 4 databases. 7 studies were included.ResultsOverlying themes of interventions were to increase balance, mindfulness, and physical fitness. The most common interventions included in programs were educational and physical activity. We suggest a comprehensive wellness program emphasizing interventions from 4 wellness dimensions-physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional.ConclusionsMany neurosurgeons experience burnout, leading to a lack of satisfaction and early retirement; this necessitates a discipline-wide acknowledgment of endemic burnout among neurosurgeons. Systemic changes are needed to refine the training process and prioritize physician well-being- this cannot be left to chance.Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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