The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a toll on the happiness, wellness and lifestyles of many segments of the population, but especially those in the healthcare field, including neurologists.
The newly released Medscape Neurologist Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2022 explores neurologists’ level of happiness in their personal and professional lives and how they maintain their mental and physical health.
Prior to the global pandemic, three quarters (75%) of neurologists reported they were "very" or "somewhat" happy outside of work, similar to physicians overall (81%).
But as the pandemic wore on, feelings shifted and there are clear signs of stress and strain on those in the healthcare field.
Now, the percentage of neurologists who say they are currently "very" or "somewhat" happy outside of work has dropped to 62%, about the same as physicians overall (59%).
Female Neurologists Hit Hard
In last year's report, 42% of neurologists reported burnout; that's risen to 47% this year.
When it comes to burnout, neurologists remain in the middle range of burned-out physicians. Perhaps not surprising given the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout rates are highest in emergency medicine and critical care physicians.
Female neurologists report burnout at a greater rate than their male colleagues — 54% vs 41%.
