A third of maternity doctors 'burnt out' and at risk of losing empathy for women in their care

More than a third of maternity doctors are “burnt out,” and at risk of lacking empathy for the women in their care, researchers have warned.

The study of more than 3,000 obstetricians and gynaecologists found high levels of long-term stress and overwork, especially among trainee medics. 

Researchers said the findings – from the largest UK study on the topic – were “very worrying,” with serious implications for patients. 

Overall, 36% of those surveyed met the criteria for “burnout,” which is associated with emotional exhaustion, lack of empathy and connection with others, researchers said. 

Medics who met the criteria for burnout were three times as likely to report anxiety, irritability and anger. They were also four times more likely than colleagues to practice “defensively”- meaning they tried to avoid difficult cases, or else carried out more interventions than necessary, for fear of error. 

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Source: The Telegraph, 26 November 2019