Burnout, as defined by ICD-10, is “a state of vital exhaustion.” This definition isn’t tied to the workplace in general or any specific profession. However, starting in January 2022, when the ICD-11 takes effect, the definition of burnout will be: “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” While all professions are susceptible to burnout, healthcare has always been a particularly stressful industry. In 2019, a Medscape survey of 15,000 physicians found that 44% of the respondents described themselves as “burnt out.”[1] Similarly, in a survey of 50,000 registered nurses fielded in 2018, 31.5% of those who had left their job in the previous year cited burnout as the reason.[2] In this same study, of those that had left or were considering leaving their job, stressful work environment and inadequate staffing was cited by nearly 60% or more as the top two reasons for burnout.

These surveys, conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, do not factor in the additional stressors and worsening staffing shortages that have impacted healthcare providers in the last 18 months. In hospitals, the beginning of the pandemic brought floods of COVID-19 patients requiring urgent care with few established treatment protocols, frustration with the inability to serve patients adequately, and a genuine risk to personal – and familial – health for providers on the front lines. Physician practices, meanwhile, found their patients – even those with chronic or emergent conditions – avoiding care due to anxiety around healthcare settings. This decline in inpatient visits was one factor that led to an 11% drop in employment in physician practices in the US from February to May 2020.[3]

This employment drop made staffing shortages – already cited in 2018 as the significant reason for RN burnout – even worse. In an April 2021 study by healthcare jobs marketplace Vivian, 43% of nurses said they were considering leaving their jobs; 87% reported their hospitals or facilities were understaffed. In addition, many physicians and other licensed clinicians have been forced to take on the administrative functions for their practices, pulling their attention from patient care and creating even more stress. The roller-coaster nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has also taken its toll. Many practices saw patients delay care, often with health consequences. A paper from December 2020 published in JAMA Health Forum found that about 1 in 7 adults (15%) reported that household members delayed or were unable to get elective procedures or surgery for important health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than half (54%) reporting negative health consequences as a result.[4] Just as many patients who had delayed care were starting to schedule delayed screenings, tests, and procedures, the delta variant of COVID-19 has overwhelmed some healthcare facilities and once again delayed “elective” procedures. These delays in care impact both patient care and the ability to hire and retain staff – both of which can have a direct impact on physician burnout.

Sharecare Can Help Bridge Staffing Gaps

Staffing shortages may continue to be a significant issue for healthcare for the foreseeable future. However, Sharecare’s solutions help practices and healthcare organizations bridge the gaps left by staffing shortages that contribute to healthcare provider burnout.

Our solutions include release of information (ROI), audit support, care coordination support, and claims denial management solutions.  In addition, we solve problems with technologies that make value-based care easier to deliver and document and remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions that enable providers to keep patients with chronic conditions engaged and on track from their own homes.

Find out how Sharecare can help reduce the stress of staff shortages and keep your practice – and your staff – on the right track.

All together, better.


[1] Medscape National Physician Burnout, Depression & Suicide Report 2019

[2] Prevalence of and Factors Associated With Nurse Burnout in the US

[3] What impact has the coronavirus pandemic had on healthcare employment?

[4] Delayed Care with Harmful Health Consequences—Reported Experiences from National Surveys During Coronavirus Disease 2019