When the Doctor Needs a Doctor
By Mark C. Engasser, MD — Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon
Doctors spend their careers asking patients how they feel. Sometimes the harder question is the one they need to ask themselves.
Am I exhausted? Am I becoming less patient, less engaged, or less connected to the work I once loved? And when did finishing the day's paperwork become a nighttime hobby?
Physician burnout is not simply a matter of having a bad day. It can involve emotional exhaustion, feeling detached from work, and losing some of the satisfaction that brought a person into medicine in the first place.
The American Medical Association recently reported some encouraging news: the share of physicians in its survey who reported at least one symptom of burnout fell to 41.9% in 2025, compared with 48.2% in 2023. That is progress, but it still means that about two out of every five physicians who responded reported a symptom of burnout. The survey included physicians from participating health systems, so the number should not be assumed to describe every physician in the country.
Why should patients care?
The relationship between a doctor and a patient depends on more than a diagnosis and a treatment plan. It takes time, attention, trust, and the ability to listen—especially when a patient's story does not fit neatly into a box on a computer screen.
A physician who is overwhelmed may have less energy to bring to those conversations. And when doctors leave a practice or reduce their hours, patients may have a harder time getting appointments or maintaining a relationship with someone who knows their history.
Can we fix it?
Exercise, friendships, family, and time away from work can help people manage stress. I would be the last person to discourage a physician from picking up a pickleball paddle. But we should be careful not to suggest that a few games—or a mindfulness class—can solve every problem in the workplace.
A research review of organizational efforts to address burnout in primary care points to the importance of involving clinicians in designing and carrying out changes. The lesson is sensible: ask the people doing the work what is getting in their way, and listen carefully to the answers. We also need more evidence about which changes help, for whom, and for how long.
Medicine has changed enormously over the years. Many of those changes have improved care. But new demands can also take time and attention away from the human connection at the center of it.
Doctors are human beings, too. They need support, meaningful work, and enough room in their lives to care for themselves as well as the people who depend on them.
And perhaps a little time on the pickleball court wouldn't hurt—provided they remember to stretch first.
Sources and further reading
This article is for general education and is not a substitute for individual medical advice.