Physician Burnout Reaching Critical Levels During COVID-19 with Lakshmana Swamy, MD, MBA

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the subject of physician burnout was likely not considered or completely understood by large swaths of the American public. Despite this, burnout has been an issue that has plagued physicians for decades prior to the pandemic, and the consequences of it are far-reaching.

In an interview for the latest installment of Crisis Point with Connor Iapoce, Dr. Lakshmana Swamy detailed the history and complications of burnout and how the mental, physical, and emotional complications associated with it worsened with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Swamy described burnout as chronic work-related stress brought on by 3 key dimensions including emotional exhaustion, a lack of personal accomplishment, and depersonalization.

He spoke on how these dimensions were affected by the ongoing pandemic, and how physicians are coping with the onslaught on misinformation, distrust, and complications with the healthcare system.