More than 90% of doctors are feeling the strain from burnout — and more than half want to stop practicing altogether, according to a survey from the Harris Poll and software company Athenahealth. Primary care doctors in particular reported greater desire to leave the profession than specialists (or 54% vs. 42%.) The causes of discontent included unsustainable workloads and not enough time to spend with patients. Yet there was large support for artificial intelligence, with 83% of physicians surveyed saying the technology could help.
"More than half of survey participants (56%) said they've thought about either staying in medicine but no longer seeing patients, or leaving the field entirely, the poll found. Primary care doctors expressed more frustration than specialists, with a higher percentage considering leaving the field entirely (54% vs 42%). Only 30% of respondents overall said they were optimistic about the future.
The survey also asked about artificial intelligence (AI) and whether its use might help reduce burnout. In all, 83% of participants said they thought AI could help with many of the industry's problems. Most respondents already used an EHR; of those, 65% said they thought it helped provide high-quality care and 54% said they thought it made their healthcare facility more efficient."