Burnout in surgeons and organisational interventions

The high level of burnout in surgeons will continue to grow as continuous healthcare reforms and financial constraints imposed by governments increase personal and professional pressures on surgeons. The many possible causes of burnout in surgeons can be categorised as organisational contributors (e.g. administrative demand and long working hours) and interpersonal contributors (e.g. work–home conflict). Interventions to prevent burnout in surgeons still very much focus on individual approaches, such as stress management. Evidence suggests that organisational interventions initiated by employers in the healthcare sector (e.g. creating opportunities for flexible working hours) have longer lasting and effective outcomes. Indeed, medical councils, such as the General Medical Council in the UK, also have a significant role to play in combating burnout in surgeons by taking radical actions to transform medical education, reflecting the challenges in contemporary healthcare organisations.