Surgeon General Calls for Collective Action to Address Health Worker Burnout

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, issued an advisory this week recommending a societal approach to addressing burnout among health care workers. Among other actions, the report calls for reducing administrative burdens, improving workplace and learning environments, increasing access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment, addressing workforce shortages and preventing workplace violence. “Confronting the long-standing drivers of burnout among our health workers must be a top national priority,” the surgeon general said Monday. “COVID-19 has been a uniquely traumatic experience for the health workforce and for their families, pushing them past their breaking point. Now, we owe them a debt of gratitude and action. And if we fail to act, we will place our nation’s health at risk.”  (HHS news release, 5/23/22)