The Physicians Foundation and The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation Call for Systemic Change to Improve Current and Future Physicians’ Wellbeing

BOSTON, Sept. 14, 2023 — The Physicians Foundation announces its new survey, 2023 Survey of America’s Current and Future Physicians, with findings that demonstrate a critical need for systemic changes within the health industry to help improve the future of medicine. Similar to previous years, the state of physician wellbeing remains low; however, residents and medical students report even lower states of wellbeing. In recognition of National Physician Suicide Awareness (NPSA) Day on September 17, The Physicians Foundation and The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation are accelerating systems change through Vital Signs: The Campaign to Prevent Physician Suicide to improve the wellbeing of physicians at all stages of their careers.

“Our country and health care system has been through a tremendous amount of stress and change in recent years. We’re seeing how the pandemic, staff shortages, healthcare consolidation and more are exacerbating a system that already needed to see change and causing record levels of burnout,” said Gary Price, MD, president of The Physicians Foundation. “The Foundation’s latest survey demonstrates these impacts on both current and future physicians, signifying that systemic change must happen now to help improve the future of medicine. This NPSA Day and beyond, we hope that everyone will join us in our urgent call to support physicians in creating a health care system that is strong and sustainable.”

The State of Wellbeing Remains Low
For the third year in a row, six in ten (58%) physicians often have feelings of burnout, compared to four in ten before the pandemic in 2018. Like their physician colleagues, six in 10 (61%) residents often have feelings of burnout. Whereas, seven in ten (71%) medical students report often having feelings of burnout. Furthermore, more than half of physicians (51%) know of a physician who has ever considered, attempted or died by suicide, remaining consistent since 2021. Though just starting their careers, a shocking proportion of students (45%) know a colleague or peer who has considered suicide, compared to residents (38%) and physicians (36%).

Despite high levels of stress, burnout and mental health distress, stigma and structural barriers prevent current and future physicians from seeking the care and support they need, with the majority of physicians (78%), residents (79%) and medical students (76%) agreeing that there is stigma surrounding mental health and seeking mental health care among physicians.

Creating a Culture of Wellbeing Among Future Physicians
In the face of these challenges, the survey suggests that residents and medical students strive to support themselves and each other. Agreement is significantly higher among residents and medical students compared to physicians for reporting that they know suicidal warning signs (physicians, 71%; residents, 83%; and medical students, 77%) and that they have checked in with a colleague experiencing mental distress (physicians, 35%; residents, 63%; and medical students, 67%). Residents (29%) and students (47%) are also significantly more likely to have sought medical attention for mental health in the past year, compared to physicians (19%). Lastly, six in ten medical students (60%) agree that physician wellbeing is a topic of conversation in medical school classes.

To better support the future physician workforce, The Physicians Foundation and The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation launched Dear FutureDoc, a new initiative from the Vital Signs campaign around NPSA Day. The goals of Dear FutureDoc are to encourage future physicians to reflect on their own mental health and wellbeing, to support each other and share their hopes for the future of physician wellbeing.

Dear FutureDoc includes three main resources:

• Note to Self: A notecard that medical students, residents and physicians can use to write a personal message to their future selves for encouragement.
• Note to Others: A notecard that future and current physicians can use to write an encouraging message to a peer or colleague.
• Selfie Sign: A sign to use as a background to take a selfie and post on social media with a message about their hopes for the wellbeing of physicians in 20 years.

Solutions to Improve the Future of Medicine
The future of medicine is dependent on change to offer the right resources and eliminate barriers that impact physicians’ wellbeing. Physicians, residents and students have identified the solutions they need. At the top of the list, physicians (80%) and residents (85%) agree that reducing administrative burdens, such as low-value work, insurance approvals and unnecessary mandatory training, is helpful to improving wellbeing. Additionally, the survey found that at least half of physicians and residents report insurance requirements (physicians, 76%; residents, 77%), documentation protocols (physicians, 71%; residents, 67%), regulatory policies (physicians, 60%; residents, 50%) and mandatory training requirements (physicians, 53%; residents, 54%) as often or always hindering their autonomy to deliver high-quality, cost-efficient care.

“Ensuring the wellbeing of physicians, medical students and residents demands cultural and systemic changes,” said Corey Feist, co-founder and president of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. “Through our Caring for Caregivers program we are working with hospitals, health systems and medical groups to reduce administrative burdens and remove barriers to access mental health care. Additionally, we launched a new Medical Student Coalition to empower medical students to reflect on the challenges that they face and the solutions that they need. We envision a future where seeking mental health services is universally viewed as a sign of strength for the physicians of today and tomorrow.”

KEY FINDINGS:

The Physicians Foundation’s 2023 Survey of America’s Current and Future Physicians focuses on the state of physician, resident and medical student wellbeing as well as physician practice environments—and the solutions needed to improve both. The survey was conducted from June 8 through June 28, 2023, and the data presented is based on 2,114 responses. Complete methodology is available on page 64 of the full report.
Key findings of the survey include the following:

The state of physician wellbeing—for both current and future physicians—remains low.

• For the third year in a row, six in 10 physicians often have feelings of burnout, compared to four in 10 before the pandemic in 2018.
• Like their physician colleagues, six in 10 residents often have feelings of burnout.
• Whereas, seven in 10 medical students report often have feelings of burnout. Medical students’ overall wellbeing is lower than both residents and physicians.
• Three-quarters of medical students have felt inappropriate feelings of anger, tearfulness or anxiety, much more compared to residents (68%) and physicians (53%).
• More than half of medical students (55%) have felt hopeless or that they have no purpose, greater compared to residents (43%) and physicians (34%).
• More than two-thirds of medical students report withdrawing from family/friends/co-workers, significantly higher compared to residents (52%) and physicians (42%).
• Nearly two-thirds of medical students have felt levels of debilitating stress, much more compared to residents at 45%.

Additionally, current and future physicians alike report stigma and structural barriers negatively affect their overall wellbeing and mental health.

• Nearly eight in 10 physicians (78%), residents (79%) and medical students (76%) agree that there is stigma surrounding mental health and seeking mental health care among physicians.
• Approximately half of physicians (48%), residents (48%), and students (55%) said they know a physician/colleague/peer who said they would not seek mental health care.
• Four in 10 physicians were either afraid or knew another physician fearful of seeking mental health care given questions asked in medical licensure/credentialing/insurance applications.
• Nearly five in 10 residents and medical students were either afraid or knew another colleague fearful of seeking mental health care given questions asked in medical licensure/credentialing/insurance applications.

The full report, including methodology, demographics of respondents, and questions asked is available here.

Learn more and access the resources and solutions mentioned at NPSADay.org.

The report conclusion is here:  

The Physicians Foundation’s 2023 Survey of America’s Current and Future Physicians finds that the state of physician wellbeing—for both current and future physicians—remains low. For the third year in a row, approximately six in 10 physicians often have feelings of burnout. Most physicians (78%) still agree that there is stigma surrounding mental health care for physicians, while the proportion of physicians who report seeking medical attention for a mental health problem (19%) has remained stagnant since 2022.  Within the past year, nearly one-quarter (24%) of physicians know a colleague who has said they would not seek mental health support. Additionally, less than a third of physicians (31%) agree that their workplace culture prioritizes physician wellbeing, declining from 36% a year ago. More than half of physicians (51%) know of a physician who has ever considered, attempted or died by suicide, remaining consistent since 2021. One-fifth (20%) know a colleague who has either considered, attempted or died by suicide specifically in just the past 12 months.   Meanwhile, the portion of physicians who know the warning signs to look for in themselves or colleagues that may be suicidal (71%) decreased compared to 2022 (78%). Not only must we do better for today’s physicians, but we must also help create a better reality for the physicians of tomorrow. Residents also report a low state of wellbeing—while medical students report an even lower state of wellbeing, compared to both physicians and residents. More than six in 10 residents (61%) and seven in 10 students (71%) report experiencing feelings of burnout. Though just starting their careers, a shocking proportion of students (45%) know a colleague or peer who has considered suicide, compared to residents (38%) and physicians (36%).

More than half of physicians (51%) know of a physician who has ever considered, attempted or died by suicide, remaining consistent since 2021.  One-fifth (20%) know a colleague who has either considered, attempted or died by suicide specifically in just the past 12 months. Meanwhile, the portion of physicians who know the warning signs to look for in themselves or colleagues that may be suicidal (71%) decreased compared to 2022 (78%).

Not only must we do better for today’s physicians, but we must also help create a better reality for the physicians of tomorrow. Residents also report a low state of wellbeing—while medical students report an even lower state of wellbeing, compared to both physicians and residents. More than six in 10 residents (61%) and seven in 10 students (71%) report experiencing feelings of burnout. Though just starting their careers, a shocking proportion of students (45%) know a colleague or peer who has considered suicide, compared to residents (38%) and physicians (36%).

About The Physicians Foundation
The Physicians Foundation is a nonprofit seeking to advance the work of practicing physicians and help them facilitate the delivery of high-quality health care to patients. As the U.S. health care system continues to evolve, The Physicians Foundation is steadfast in strengthening the physician-patient relationship, supporting medical practices’ sustainability and helping physicians navigate the changing health care system. The Physicians Foundation pursues its mission through research, education and innovative grant making that improves physician wellbeing, strengthens physician leadership, addresses drivers of health and lifts physician perspectives. For more information, visit www.physiciansfoundation.org.

About the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation
The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded by the family of Dr. Lorna Breen. The mission of the Foundation is to reduce burnout of health care professionals and safeguard their wellbeing and job satisfaction. Their vision is that obtaining mental health support services is universally viewed as a strength and job requisite for health care professionals. The Foundation has three main tactics to achieve long-term change:

1. Advise the health care industry on wellbeing initiatives that provide holistic mental health support.
2. Build awareness on mental health prevalence to reduce the stigma; and
3. Fund research and programs that seek to reduce health care professional burnout and improve their wellbeing.

The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, alongside Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Thrive Global and the CAA Foundation and Creative Artists Agency, co-founded and co-lead ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare, a coalition that focuses on systems-level, evidence-based solutions to improve healthcare worker mental health and well-being and shift the cultural stigma around health workers accessing mental health services.

About the Physicians Foundation’s 2023 Survey of America’s Current and Future Physicians
Each year, the Physicians Foundation assesses physician sentiment surrounding the practice environment and patient care, so we can understand where things stand and drive change to enhance physician practice and improve patient health outcomes. In 2023, the survey was conducted online among U.S. physicians, medical residents and clerkship/clinical rotation medical students, who were derived from Medscape’s proprietary database. The survey was fielded from June 8 through June 28, 2023.