Acute Care — MCQs

Question 11: A primary care physician is recently receiving more negative online reviews from his patients. He is increasingly feeling tired and has written 2 wrong prescriptions over the past month alone. Currently, on his panel, he has a list of 1,051 patients, half of whom are geriatric patients. He spends approx. 51 hours per week visiting about 20 patients a day. He has no history of a serious illness and takes no medications. An evaluation by a psychiatrist shows no primary psychiatric disorders. According to recent national surveys, which of the following do physicians more frequently recognize as a contributor to this physician’s current condition?

• A. Concern over online reputation
• B. Excessive bureaucratic tasks (Correct Answer)
• C. The number of patients on his panel
• D. Working too many hours
• E. The number of geriatric patients on his panel

Explanation: ***Excessive bureaucratic tasks*** - Recent national surveys indicate that **excessive bureaucratic tasks** are a leading recognized contributor to physician burnout, stress, and errors. These tasks include documentation, insurance paperwork, and administrative burdens that detract from direct patient care. - Despite the other factors mentioned, the sheer volume of non-clinical work is frequently cited as more frustrating and time-consuming than patient volume or working hours alone. *Concern over online reputation* - While a negative online reputation can contribute to physician stress, it is generally not identified as the **primary or most frequent contributor** to burnout in national surveys compared to systemic issues like bureaucracy. - Concerns about patient feedback and online reviews often layer upon existing stressors, rather than being the root cause of widespread physician distress. *The number of patients on his panel* - A high patient panel size can contribute to workload and stress; however, surveys often highlight the **quality and nature of work** (e.g., administrative burden) as more impactful than the sheer quantity of patients. - While managing **1,051 patients** is demanding, physicians frequently report that administrative tasks associated with each patient, rather than the number of patients themselves, are the main issue. *Working too many hours* - Long working hours are a significant factor in physician burnout, but often it is the nature of those hours—filled with **non-clinical tasks**—that is most impactful. - Many physicians are accustomed to long hours, but their tolerance diminishes when a substantial portion of that time is spent on activities perceived as unproductive or non-patient-centric. *The number of geriatric patients on his panel* - While geriatric patients may require **more complex and time-consuming care**, the number of such patients is typically not cited in national surveys as a more frequent contributor to physician burnout than the general administrative burden. - The complexity of care for specific patient populations adds to workload, but the systemic issues of **bureaucracy** tend to be a more universally recognized underlying problem for most physicians.