Identifying and Addressing Burnout in the Orthopaedic Surgeon

Throughout the career of a physician, they are subjected to long working hours, high stress, life and death situations, risk of malpractice, significant financial debt, and an increasing bureaucratic load. This, in turn, has led to significant rates of burnout and potential suicidal ideation. Suicide prevalence has increased roughly 30% over the past 2 decades, with surgeon suicide rates reaching as high as 3x that of the general cohort. Orthopedic surgeons are most severely affected, composing 28.2% of physician suicides and seeing one third of their suicides from 2003 to 2017 occurring in the last 2 years alone. We provide the latest data and the current trends in orthopedic burnout and suicide rates, delve into the possible inciting factors driving their increase, and provide recommendations to identify their early signs and mitigate progression.

Automated summary

Throughout their career, physicians face long working hours, high stress, life and death situations, malpractice risks, financial debt, and bureaucratic load, leading to burnout and suicidal thoughts. Suicide rates have risen by 30% in the past 2 decades, with surgeons having triple the rate compared to the general population. Orthopedic surgeons are most affected, accounting for 28.2% of physician suicides and experiencing a significant increase in the last 2 years alone. This article provides the latest data, discusses the factors driving the increase in burnout and suicide rates, and recommends early identification and mitigation strategies.