Two out of three pain specialists experience severe burnout, in some cases compromising the treatment of patients. Australian social psychologist Claire Ashton-James said chronic patient pain was increasing and so too the prevalence among their specialists of burnout—a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout levels worsened.
Speaking to the Faculty of Pain Medicine at the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, Ashton-James quoted a U.S. study from 2021 that reflected Australian trends.
“Anaesthetists—specialising in airways and breathing—have the highest levels of burnout at 63 percent, whereas sub-specialities are lower,” Ashton-James said in Sydney on May 5….