Extract
Burnout has many definitions but the most commonly accepted is "a
state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion caused by long-term
involvement in situations that are emotionally
demanding."1
It tends to be most common among medical professionals as a result of long
working hours, stresses associated with the responsibilities of patient care,
and emotional contact with
patients2. According
to Jones, burnout—a syndrome of progressive emotional, attitudinal, and
physical exhaustion—is a critical occupational hazard for people in a
wide range of helping
professions3. Those
who are affected find themselves plagued by chronic fatigue, low energy,
irritability, and a negative attitude toward themselves, toward others, and
toward their jobs. Because they are emotionally depleted and cynical, they may
have a negative impact on those around them, including the individuals with
whom they work and the patients they treat. Among the members of the so-called
helping professions, physicians are clearly most afflicted with burnout and,
as we noted in our previous
report4, they have
by now been quite intensively studied. Characteristically, burnout syndrome
involves the development of a cynical attitude and the loss of concern for
people with whom one is working. In addition to physical exhaustion, which
harms physical health through many
pathways5, burnout
is also characterized by an emotional exhaustion wherein the professional
experiences growing negative feelings, cynicism, or disrespect for patients
and colleagues. "A very cynical and dehumanized perception of these
people often develops in which they are labeled in derogatory ways and
therefore treated
accordingly."6