physician burnout

A term coined to evoke the torment felt by soldiers as they process the cruelty of war, it's now used by doctors to describe the guilt and helplessness we feel when patients can't access needed care.

Doctors who feel burned out are more likely to cut back on hours or leave medicine entirely. This costs hospitals and health care organizations billions each year, new research finds.

In their new book Compassionomics, two doctors review the field of compassion research. Their finding? When physicians take time to connect and express care, both patients and doctors benefit.

There's a lively debate going on in the medical community about physician burnout. Who has it? How bad is it? Is it even real?