causes, symptoms and ways to get out of it

March 10, 2020

Whether they work in the hospital or in the city, doctors are particularly affected by burnout syndrome, also called burn-out. Who are those affected? In what context does the burnout of health professionals find the ground to settle? And finally what solutions are available to professionals to get by?

Lack of energy or exhaustion;A withdrawal from work or negative or cynical feelings related to work;A loss of professional efficiency.Three characteristic symptoms of doctors' burnoutHow to tell the difference between temporary tiredness and a real burn-out of the doctor? According to the experts, three characteristic symptoms of burn-out should alert the victim:Exhaustion : you are exhausted on one or more of these three levels, Energy (your physical energy), Emotion (capacity for empathy, emotional feeling), Spirit (the "why" that made you choose the beautiful profession of caregiver).Cynicism : You have lost your ability to care for your patients, staff and colleagues, you are finding it increasingly difficult to empathize and connect with them. Sometimes you can blame, humiliate or demonize the people you care for – and feel guilty about it immediately.The doubt : you start to doubt that your work really makes a difference or you doubt the quality of what you do.Doctor burn-out: how to get outFaced with the worrying figures of the number of doctors affected by burn-out, several systems exist.A national number set up by the CNOMSince January 2018, any doctor who is in difficulty can be helped by the National Council of the College of Physicians at 0800 288 038 (toll free). This telephone platform is intended for doctors but also for interns in difficulty.He puts them in touch with doctors of the departmental commission of ordinal assistance or of a regional association of assistance. If necessary, they are also taken care of by a clinical psychologist. This number is open 24/7 and aims to respond to the suffering of doctors, both psychologically and to help those who have financial difficulties.Take time for yourself, refocus, reorganize your activity If talking about the problem is a first step to get out of burnout, it is essential to take a step back. This can go through a temporary cessation of work, the time to refocus and seek the meaning that is lacking for those suffering from burnout.Reorganizing the way you work also seems essential to get rid of this growing feeling of work overload and inability to cope. To go up the slope, it is possible to be accompanied by a caregiver (psychologist) or even to appeal to associations that have become aware of the scope of the problem, such as SPS (Care for Health Professionals).