Patient burnout is a public health crisis

SALT LAKE CITY – We often hear about burnout among doctors and nurses, but what about among patients? Are you suffering from patient burnout?

In the latest Let’s Get Moving with Maria podcast episode, Maria Shilaos spoke with Dr. Alan Reisinger, Medical Director of MDVIP, to learn what’s causing this burnout and what we can do to prevent it.

There are a couple of reasons why many patients are getting burnt out. For one, it often takes weeks to months before they actually get to see the doctor. When the appointment finally arrives, it ends in a matter of minutes.

“Then when that insurance bill comes in the mail, you can’t make sense of it. So, the experience of getting healthcare is not only frustrating, it’s depersonalizing,” Dr. Reisinger said.

He also noticed that patient burnout leads people to delay or skip their healthcare visits altogether. This is a huge risk for people who are older and have multiple chronic health conditions.

Maria pointed out that skipping regular health checkups would increase your chances of ending up in the emergency room. And that’s not all. You also have to think about the medical costs.

“If every American used a primary care doctor, we would save the country $67 billion in a year,” Dr. Reisinger said.

That doesn’t mean urgent care centers aren’t helpful. They just shouldn’t replace a primary care doctor.

“You really need somebody who has seen you when you’re well so that they better recognize what’s going on when you’re ill,” he said.

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