ACEP is calling for meaningful reforms to safeguard the well-being of emergency physicians in response to a report about burnout from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
The report examines how health care delivery conditions affect burnout levels, how burnout among physicians and other health care workers impacts patients and families, and how system-level interventions aim to reduce burnout.
ACEP’s comments emphasize the importance of addressing systemic drivers of burnout, protecting physician well-being, and ensuring emergency physicians have the resources and support they need to care for patients:
“The causes of [health care worker] burnout must be addressed in order to relieve the negative downstream effects. When health care professionals have the care they need and deserve they are able to continue to provide high quality care to the individuals, families, and communities they serve.”
-ACEP President Alison J. Haddock, MD, FACEP
ACEP applauds AHRQ for acknowledging the gravity and prevalence of health care worker burnout. ACEP will keep fighting for research and policies that protect emergency physicians, strengthen and sustain emergency medicine, and ensure every patient gets the care they deserve.
ACEP and its members urge Congress to reauthorize the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, the first federal law focused on making sure that physicians and health care workers can access mental health care.
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