In a recent survey, Western doctors blamed burnout and staff shortages for an increase in medical errors, while half of respondents said they had considered leaving their profession in the past three months.

Survey Healthcare Global (SHG) quizzed doctors in the most pandemic-affected medical specialties (family medicine/general practice, emergency medicine, paediatrics, intensive/critical care and surgery) in the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Overall, 34% of responding physicians reported an increase in medical errors due to staff shortages (Spain, 58%). Longer wait times (80%) and decreasing quality of care (69%) were also of concern to doctors since the pandemic, although 40% of respondents said staffing shortages began long before Covid. Three-quarters also said their patients were worrying about the quality or safety of their care, with 58% adding staffing-related issues directly impacted patients’ mental health.

Evaluating these effects on their own wellbeing, 18% of practitioners said they were more likely to drink, smoke, or abuse substances, with 75% noting their organisations lacked any employee wellness resources. Although respondents in five of the six nations said the pandemic was the biggest reason for staff shortages, burnout was cited as the second largest cause by 26% to 40%, depending on the country.