Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] Cardiothoracic surgery is a demanding field that requires technical skills, mental agility, and emotional resilience. Performing operations on vital organs in high-stress situations carries significant risks for patients and providers alike. Despite the rewards of saving lives and improving patients’ quality of life, cardiothoracic surgeons are vulnerable to burning out, wherein they feel emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. Burnout has far-reaching consequences for individual surgeons, their teams, and the broader healthcare system, yet it remains an under-recognized and under-addressed challenge in the field. Therefore, we examined the prevalence and impact of cardiothoracic surgeon burnout, by exploring potential contributing factors and discussing strategies for prevention and intervention. [To read more, click View Resource.]
