Psychology, health & medicine
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Emergency medicine is one of the medical fields with the highest rates of physician burnout. Research demonstrates hospitalists believe increasing workloads contribute to decreases in patient safety and satisfaction, and increases in morbidity and mortality. ⋯ Respondents felt the greatest workload burdens by being '…unable to fully discuss treatment options or answer questions of a patient or family member' or leading to 'Delay in admitting or discharging patients.' Excessive workload also contributed to respondents having to 'Admit to hospital instead of discharge' and resulted in 'Worsened patient satisfaction.' The 'Emotional Exhaustion' domain of the Maslach Burnout Inventory was the most highly affected by the perceived effects of workload on patient outcomes and 'Personal Accomplishment' was least affected. This research highlights the perception that workload contributing to patient harm may be associated with emergency medicine burnout.