New York residents trust their doctors to provide them with superlative medical care. When a person suffers from an injury, illness, or other ailment, they may make an appointment with their trusted physician to begin the investigative process to determine exactly what treatment they need to heal. Medical professionals like doctors have specialized training that puts them in the best possible role to help ailing individuals work through their medical problems and find improved health.
Unfortunately, the medical field suffers from many of the same problems as other industries. In particular, doctors suffer from burnout, also called fatigue, at an alarmingly high rate. This post looks at doctor burnout as a possible cause of medical malpractice as it can directly impact the quality and efficacy of care that sick and injured individuals receive. No part of this post should be read as medical or legal advice.
What causes doctor burnout?
Doctor burnout can have different causes. However, scheduling can serve as a significant contributor to fatigue and burnout in physicians. Many doctors in private practice and hospital settings are expected to see multiple patients per hour period this leaves them with little time to ask probing questions and find significant information about the individuals under their care. With multiple cases and commitments to attend to that are constantly changing, doctors can become fatigued and mentally exhausted within their practices.
Workplace stress and chaos can also contribute to physician burnout. Working in hectic environments with few predictable patterns can create exhaustion and fatigued in working medical professionals. When a patient believes that their care may have been impacted by physician burnout, they can speak with a medical malpractice attorney about their possible claims.
How does burnout impact patient care?
Tired physicians do not have the best focus to evaluate and treat patients. Many physicians who are burned out suffer from problems with their executive function processing as well as concentration. A doctor who has trouble processing the symptoms and needs of their patient may not efficiently find them a treatment or plan of care period
Physician burnout can be a cause of medical malpractice. When medical malpractice happens, patients suffer at the hands of negligent doctors. Victims of medical malpractice have rights and can seek counsel from trusted attorneys who work in the field.