Many obgyns suffer from burnout, survey suggests

Burnout among obstetricians and gynaecologists has doubled since the pandemic, with 72 per cent now meeting diagnostic criteria, a national survey has found.

The 2022 survey of 1,114 doctors also reported that 9 per cent had experienced suicidal thoughts—up from 3 per cent in 2019. The highest rates of burnout were found in younger resident doctors, with 80 per cent affected.

Researchers at Imperial College London say the findings highlight a growing mental health crisis in women’s health, with serious implications for clinicians and patient care. They are calling for urgent action from healthcare organisations.

The study comes after several major enquiries into failings in maternity care and follows a government review announced by health secretary Wes Streeting into England’s maternity and neonatal units.

Professor Tom Bourne is chair in gynaecology at Imperial College London and lead author of the study.

He said: “As well as having a severe impact on the clinicians themselves, we know that burnout is detrimental to patient care, with evidence that it carries double the risk of patient safety incidents and is associated with poor professional behaviour.

“Doctors with burnout are more likely to be named in medical negligence cases, report more medical errors and have lower patient satisfaction ratings.”

He added: “Among the many factors involved, recent investigations into poor care at maternity units have talked about cultures where staff lack compassion and empathy – and these are key burnout characteristics.

“Our study should be a warning to healthcare organisations and policy makers to urgently consider implementing strategies to mitigate the serious impacts of burnout on clinicians and their patients.”

The research used the Maslach Burnout Inventory Survey for Medical Personnel and compared responses from 3,102 Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology members in 2019 with 1,114 respondents in 2022.

In 2022, 39 per cent of respondents reported practising defensively, compared to 13 per cent pre-pandemic.

Overall, 62 per cent reported anxiety, 31 per cent depression and 9 per cent suicidal thoughts, compared with 33 per cent, 14 per cent and 3 per cent in 2019.

Doctors with burnout were seven times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than those without, five times more likely to report depression, and around four times more likely to experience anxiety, sleep issues, irritability and anger.

Dr Alison Wright is president-elect of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology.

She said: “This paper’s finding of such high rates of burnout amongst doctors training in obstetrics and gynaecology deeply concerns me, especially given the detrimental impact that burnout can have on patient care.

“I see this as a call to action and look forward to working with government and other organisations, to do whatever we can to improve working conditions for frontline clinicians and residents, thereby supporting and enabling obstetricians and gynaecologists to provide the best possible care to women and families.”