Burnout Contagion
Authors: Lawrence K. Loo, Daniel I. Kim
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2019)

Letters4 June 2019Burnout ContagionLawrence K. Loo, MD and Daniel I. Kim, MDLawrence K. Loo, MDLoma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California (L.K.L.)Search for more papers by this author and Daniel I. Kim, MDUniversity of California School of Medicine, Riverside, California (D.I.K.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L19-0090 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:In Lapedis's poignant description of the suicide of a classmate shortly after receiving her U.S. Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 score, she wrote: “We know the statistics.… Rates of burnout, depression, and suicide are significantly higher in medical students, residents, and physicians than in an age-matched population” (1). In a recent Grand Rounds presentation on burnout, depression, and suicide at one of our institutions, an anonymous poll found that approximately 70% of the audience—comprising faculty, residents, and medical students—agreed with that statement. In reality, however, the statistics do not completely support that statement. Rates of burnout, depression, ...References1. Lapedis CJ. Murky water. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:415-6. [PMID: 30242420]. doi:10.7326/M18-1398 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Rotenstein LS, Ramos MA, Torre M, Segal JB, Peluso MJ, Guille C, et al. Prevalence of depression, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation among medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2016;316:2214-36. [PMID: 27923088] doi:10.1001/jama.2016.17324 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Petersen MR, Burnett CA. The suicide mortality of working physicians and dentists. Occup Med (Lond). 2008;58:25-9. [PMID: 17965446] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Yaghmour NA, Brigham TP, Richter T, Miller RS, Philibert I, Baldwin DC, et al. Causes of death of residents in ACGME-accredited programs 2000 through 2014: implications for the learning environment. Acad Med. 2017;92:976-83. [PMID: 28514230] doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000001736 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Stone DM, Hilland KM, Barthdow B, Crosby AE, Davis S, Wilkins N. Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policies, Programs, and Practices. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2017. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California (L.K.L.)University of California School of Medicine, Riverside, California (D.I.K.)Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L19-0090. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoMurky Water Cathryn J. Lapedis Burnout Contagion Cathryn J. Lapedis and Lisa M. Meeks Metrics Cited byDoes teaching Optimism lower Burnout in residency training– a pilot study 4 June 2019Volume 170, Issue 11Page: 815-816KeywordsAnxietyConflicts of interestDisclosureSuicide ePublished: 4 June 2019 Issue Published: 4 June 2019 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2019 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...