Burnout affects a large share of the healthcare workforce, with 39% of frontline healthcare workers and 35.7% of nurses reporting it in major analyses. The pattern points to specific workplace pressures, including workload cited by 57% of nurses and lack of scheduling control cited by 49% of healthcare workers. This article tracks the prevalence, drivers, care impacts, and multibillion-dollar costs tied to burnout.
Key Takeaways
- 38% of healthcare workers reported reduced personal accomplishment symptoms (pooled estimate across included studies)
- 35.7% of nurses in a meta-analysis reported burnout
- 33.1% of healthcare professionals reported burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic (meta-analytic estimate)
- 39% of frontline healthcare workers reported burnout in a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs analysis of the 2022 National Pulse Survey
- 57% of nurses reported workload as a contributing factor to burnout in the 2022 National Nurses United survey reported in a peer-reviewed research brief summarizing NNU results
- 49% of healthcare workers reported that lack of control over scheduling contributed to burnout in a 2021 study published in the Journal of Nursing Administration
- 2.6 times higher odds of medical errors were reported among burned-out physicians in a 2019 study published in JAMA Network Open
- 31% of nurses reported that burnout affected their patient care quality in a 2022 cross-sectional study in Nursing Outlook
- 34% of healthcare workers with burnout reported absenteeism (missed workdays) in a 2020 study reported in the American Journal of Managed Care
- $6.5 billion estimated annual cost of physician burnout to the U.S. healthcare system (as summarized by the 2020 peer-reviewed paper in Mayo Clinic Proceedings)
- $2.8 billion estimated annual cost of turnover related to burnout among nurses in the U.S. (estimate reported in a 2019 Health Affairs article)
- $12.4 billion total annual cost of physician burnout in the U.S. (model estimate reported by JAMA Network Open analysis citing prior cost studies)
- 20.6% of U.S. adults reported symptoms consistent with anxiety and 14.5% with depressive disorder during 2020–2021; although not burnout-specific, the high distress period is used in U.S. workforce burnout discussions in CDC reporting
- 85% of organizations in the 2022 Joint Commission behavioral health and safety culture survey reported having some form of staff well-being program (used as baseline for burnout prevention initiatives)
- A 2020 randomized controlled trial found an 8-week mindfulness-based program reduced emotional exhaustion scores by 0.4 points on the Maslach subscale (as reported in the trial results)
Burnout is widespread in healthcare, reaching roughly one third to half of workers and driving turnover, errors, and rising costs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Interventions7 stats
01
20.6% of U.S. adults reported symptoms consistent with anxiety and 14.5% with depressive disorder during 2020–2021; although not burnout-specific, the high distress period is used in U.S. workforce burnout discussions in CDC reporting
02
85% of organizations in the 2022 Joint Commission behavioral health and safety culture survey reported having some form of staff well-being program (used as baseline for burnout prevention initiatives)
03
A 2020 randomized controlled trial found an 8-week mindfulness-based program reduced emotional exhaustion scores by 0.4 points on the Maslach subscale (as reported in the trial results)
04
70% of respondents in the American Medical Association STEPS Forward initiative survey reported that burnout interventions improved workplace culture (initiative evaluation report)
05
58% of hospital leaders reported implementing staffing model changes (e.g., float pools) to address burnout risk in a 2021 AHRQ evidence-based staffing practice survey (public report)
06
3.1% reduction in turnover intention was associated with participation in an employee well-being coaching program in a 2019 controlled study published by Wiley in Personnel Psychology
07
In a 2022 evaluation, EAP utilization increased by 18% following roll-out of an integrated clinician mental health program in a large health system (program evaluation report)
Interpretation
Interventions Interpretation
For the Interventions angle, the data suggests relatively modest but measurable gains, such as a 0.4 point reduction in emotional exhaustion from an 8 week mindfulness program and a 3.1% decrease in turnover intention from well being coaching, alongside broader adoption where 58% of hospital leaders and 85% of organizations report implementing staffing and well being measures.
02 · Category
Prevalence And Risk6 stats
01
38% of healthcare workers reported reduced personal accomplishment symptoms (pooled estimate across included studies)
02
35.7% of nurses in a meta-analysis reported burnout
03
33.1% of healthcare professionals reported burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic (meta-analytic estimate)
04
44% of physicians experienced burnout during COVID-19 (pooled estimate reported in the systematic review)
05
37% of healthcare workers reported low personal accomplishment during COVID-19 (systematic review pooled estimate)
06
33% of physicians reported they plan to change jobs or leave direct patient care due to burnout (AMA survey summary figure)
Interpretation
Prevalence And Risk Interpretation
Across the prevalence and risk evidence, burnout is widespread, with pooled estimates around one in three healthcare workers and notably higher levels among physicians during COVID-19, such as 44% reporting burnout and 33% planning to change jobs or leave direct patient care.
03 · Category
Outcomes6 stats
01
2.6 times higher odds of medical errors were reported among burned-out physicians in a 2019 study published in JAMA Network Open
02
31% of nurses reported that burnout affected their patient care quality in a 2022 cross-sectional study in Nursing Outlook
03
34% of healthcare workers with burnout reported absenteeism (missed workdays) in a 2020 study reported in the American Journal of Managed Care
04
5.4% absolute increase in patient dissatisfaction scores was associated with staff burnout in a 2019 study of hospital units reported in Health Affairs
05
30% higher likelihood of reporting intent to leave direct care was associated with burnout in a 2020 survey analysis by RAND Health (published PDF)
06
46% of clinicians reported burnout was linked to reduced empathy in a 2021 study in PLOS ONE (open-access)
Interpretation
Outcomes Interpretation
Across the outcomes studies, burnout consistently correlates with worse care and workforce stability, with metrics ranging from a 2.6 times higher odds of medical errors to a 31% report of reduced patient care quality and a 30% higher likelihood of intent to leave direct care.
More related reading
04 · Category
Economic Impact5 stats
01
$6.5 billion estimated annual cost of physician burnout to the U.S. healthcare system (as summarized by the 2020 peer-reviewed paper in Mayo Clinic Proceedings)
02
$2.8 billion estimated annual cost of turnover related to burnout among nurses in the U.S. (estimate reported in a 2019 Health Affairs article)
03
$12.4 billion total annual cost of physician burnout in the U.S. (model estimate reported by JAMA Network Open analysis citing prior cost studies)
04
1.2% of total hospital operating expenses were linked to clinician turnover attributable to burnout risk factors in a 2018 modeling paper in Medical Care Research and Review
05
12.0% reduction in avoidable costs was projected when burnout interventions improved staffing stability in a 2020 RAND modeling report (public PDF)
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
From an economic impact standpoint, clinician burnout is costing the U.S. healthcare system billions each year, with estimates ranging up to $12.4 billion for physician burnout and $2.8 billion for nurse turnover, while modeling suggests that tackling burnout to improve staffing stability could cut avoidable costs by 12.0%.
05 · Category
Drivers2 stats
01
57% of nurses reported workload as a contributing factor to burnout in the 2022 National Nurses United survey reported in a peer-reviewed research brief summarizing NNU results
02
49% of healthcare workers reported that lack of control over scheduling contributed to burnout in a 2021 study published in the Journal of Nursing Administration
Interpretation
Drivers Interpretation
In the Drivers category, the data shows that workload and scheduling control are major burnout contributors, with 57% of nurses citing workload in 2022 and 49% of healthcare workers linking burnout to lack of control over scheduling in 2021.
06 · Category
Industry Overview8 stats
01
53% of healthcare workers reported high workload as a burnout driver (survey reported in peer-reviewed workforce analysis).
02
29% of healthcare professionals reported that burnout affected their intention to leave their organization (survey findings in organizational behavior research).
03
$4.6 billion estimated annual cost of burnout to the U.S. healthcare system (cost estimate reported in peer-reviewed health policy analysis).
04
22% of turnover intent variability among healthcare staff was associated with burnout severity in a multivariable analysis (study result).
05
39% of frontline healthcare workers reported burnout in a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs analysis of the 2022 National Pulse Survey
06
54% of physicians reported experiencing burnout at some point in their career (U.S. survey reported in peer-reviewed study).
07
33% of employers offered resilience or well-being coaching to clinical staff in 2022 (employer benefits survey).
08
32% of healthcare leaders reported that burnout risk constrained ability to meet patient demand in 2022 (leadership survey).
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the healthcare industry, burnout appears to be both widespread and costly, with 53% of workers citing high workload and 39% of VA frontline staff reporting burnout, while the U.S. system faces an estimated $4.6 billion in annual costs, underscoring how pervasive strain is becoming a major industry-level problem.
report visual · Comparison
Burnout prevalence and intent to leave
A sizable share of clinicians report burnout, and a notable portion report intentions to leave direct patient care or their organization—highlighting workforce risk.
54% of physicians reported experiencing burnout at some point in their career (U.S. survey reported in peer-reviewed stu54%
44% of physicians experienced burnout during COVID-19 (pooled estimate reported in the systematic review)
44%
33% of physicians reported they plan to change jobs or leave direct patient care due to burnout (AMA survey summary figu
33%
29% of healthcare professionals reported that burnout affected their intention to leave their organization (survey findi
29%
source-verifiedpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · jamanetwork.com · ama-assn.org · researchgate.net
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marie Larsen. (2026, February 13). Healthcare Burnout Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/healthcare-burnout-statistics
MLA
Marie Larsen. "Healthcare Burnout Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/healthcare-burnout-statistics.
Chicago
Marie Larsen. 2026. "Healthcare Burnout Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/healthcare-burnout-statistics.
Sources & references
34 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)