More than half of U.S. doctors experience burnout

(Reuters Health) - Burnout among U.S. doctors is becoming more common and now affects more than half of practicing physicians, according to a new study.

About 54 percent of U.S. doctors experienced at least one symptom of burnout in 2014, compared to about 46 percent of doctors in 2011, researchers report in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Overall, the researchers found that doctors are about twice as likely to experience burnout as the average U.S. worker.

"Things are unfortunately getting worse for physicians," said lead author Dr. Tait Shanafelt, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.