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Featured Clinical Reviews

Editorial
September 23 2009

Enhancing Meaning in Work: A Prescription for Preventing Physician Burnout and Promoting Patient-Centered Care

Author Affiliations

Author Affiliation: Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-being, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

JAMA. 2009;302(12):1338-1340. doi:10.1001/jama.2009.1385

Burnout is a pervasive problem among physicians.1 The burnout syndrome is characterized by losing enthusiasm for work (emotional exhaustion), treating people as if they were objects (depersonalization), and having a sense that work is no longer meaningful (low personal accomplishment).2 Numerous global studies involving nearly every medical and surgical specialty indicate that approximately 1 of every 3 physicians is experiencing burnout at any given time.1

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