Burnout, depression link to medical errors

ROCHESTER, Minn., Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Medical errors self-reported by U.S. surgeons are strongly related to both burnout and depression, researchers found.

In a study that promised confidentiality, nearly 9 percent of U.S. surgeons responding said they made a major error in the three months prior to being surveyed.

The study, published online in the Annals of Surgery, found more than 70 percent of the surgeons attributed the error to themselves rather than a systemic or organizational cause.

Lead author Dr. Tait Shanafelt of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues at Johns Hopkins and the American College of Surgeons, said the results showed the components of surgeon burnout -- emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and the perception of personal accomplishments -- were related to medical errors as was surgeons' "mental quality of life" including depression.

Of the 7,905 surgeons participating in the survey, 8.9 percent reported making recent medical errors they considered major. The researchers said they found no relation between errors and the work setting, method of compensation, number of nights on call per week or number of hours worked.

The finding suggests reducing work hours for surgeons may have little impact on limiting errors unless burnout is also addressed, the researchers said.