Abstract
Burnout is characterized by feelings of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and low personal achievement, which adversely affects orthopaedic surgeons and their patients. Burnout is increasingly being recognized as a systemic problem, resulting from excessive workloads, administrative burdens, inadequate job resources, and lack of work-life balance. There is a growing movement to develop system-level strategies to address it. Here, we summarize evidence-based organizational strategies and approaches to assist institutions in addressing burnout in orthopaedic surgery, and we summarize key recommendations outlined in landmark burnout guidelines. Among the recommendations made by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), we identified seven key themes in order to address burnout, which include: (1) recognizing the presence of burnout and investing in strategies to measure and address it; (2) harnessing leadership support and commitment; (3) establishing and sustaining a culture of wellness and support; (4) promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace; (5) securing access to mental healthcare and promoting individual resilience; (6) reducing workplace inefficiencies; and (7) enhancing orthopaedic surgeons’ autonomy and control.
