The covid-19 pandemic has caused significant stress to medical caregivers. And it extends beyond their professional lives. Medscape’s 2022 Physician Lifestyle and Happiness report provides insight into physicians’ habits, downtime, work-life balance, and relationships, and includes responses from more than 10,000 U.S. physicians representing almost 30 specialties.
When asked about their life prior to the pandemic, eight in ten physicians reported that they were very (40 percent) or somewhat (41 percent) happy outside of work. Now, fewer than six in ten say that they are happy outside of work. Just 24 percent say they are very happy and 35 percent are somewhat happy. And, notably, just one-third of respondents feel that they have enough time (always or usually) to spend on their own health and wellness, with men more likely to have time (38 percent) than women (27 percent). Just under half of physicians, 44 percent, “sometimes” have the time to focus on their own wellbeing.
To maintain their happiness and mental health, most physicians say that they spend time with family/friends (68 percent), engage in activities/enjoyable hobbies (66 percent), and exercise (63 percent). Just under half say they focus on getting enough sleep (49 percent) and eating healthy (44 percent). The majority of physicians do say that they exercise regularly—34 percent exercise two to three times a week and 33 percent exercise four or more times a week. When asked about weight, about one-third say that they are working to maintain their current weight (30 percent), while just over half are looking to lose weight (51 percent).
Over half of physicians, 55 percent, say that they would take a salary reduction to have a better work-life balance, an increase of eight percentage points from 47 percent a year ago. Female physicians are more likely to express a willingness to take a pay cut for improved work-life balance, with 60 percent saying they would give up salary for balance compared to 53 percent of men. In terms of time away from work, most physicians take between one and four weeks of vacation; 30 percent take one to two weeks and 40 percent take three to four weeks. These numbers are similar to last year’s report.
Most physicians are married or in a committed relationship (89 percent of men, 75 percent of women). And the majority, 82 percent, describe their marriage as very good or good, which is similar to last year. While the percentages are high across specialties, 91 percent of otolaryngologists and immunologists describe their unions as good or very good, while critical care (76 percent) and plastic surgery (75 percent) fall on the lower side. Forty-three percent of physicians are married to another physician or healthcare worker, though the majority (56 percent) are married to a partner outside of medicine. Among physicians who are parents, 35 percent feel conflicted between work and family demands. Almost half of female physicians, 48 percent, are conflicted or very conflicted, whereas 29 percent of their male counterparts report feeling the same. About 30 percent of both men and women physicians report feeling somewhat conflicted.
Physician wellbeing is critical for preventing burnout, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic, as burnout levels remain high and directly impact the quality of care provided to patients. The AMA has taken on the topic of physician burnout to spur advocacy, research, and provide tactical resources to improve wellbeing, which prospective and current medical students may wish to review. Medical students should strive to integrate wellbeing practices into their lifestyles as early as possible—healthy dietary and movement habits, outlets for stress, and strong relationships that may help them to withstand the stress of medical school and patient care.