The Physicians Foundation's 2018 Physician Survey found 78 percent of physicians have experienced burnout in their medical practices. Merritt Hawkins administered the survey to nearly 9,000 physicians across the U.S. The survey included 38 separate questions about physician demographics, satisfaction with medical practice, views on value-based care and more. Here are seven survey findings: 1. Frustration over inefficient electronic health records remains one of the key contributors to burnout. 2. Almost all — 88 percent — of physicians reported their patients are affected by social determinants of health, such as poverty, unemployment, lack of education and addiction. 3. While 47.1 percent of physicians received value-based compensation, 56.8 percent of those physicians did not believe the metrics improved the quality of care or reduced costs. 4. Only 10 percent of physicians believed they had a good or great ability to significantly impact the healthcare system. 5. Only 31 percent of physicians are in private practice, down from 48 percent in the 2014 survey. 6. Male physicians see 12 percent more patients per day than female physicians. Female physicians see more Medicaid patients and are more likely to experience burnout. 7. Almost half — 46 percent — plan to change career paths, and 80 percent report being overextended or at full capacity. Source
