Study: Burned Out, Depressed Surgeons More Likely to Make Major Medical Mistakes

The mean age of those reporting medical errors was three years younger than those who did not report errors (49 versus 52). Surgeons who worked an average of 4.6 more hours a week were more likely to report a recent medical error (63.5 hours versus 58.9) and spent an additional hour per week in the operating room. They also had slightly more nights on call per week.

General surgeons were more likely to report errors than obstetrician gynecologists, plastic surgeons, and otolaryngologists.

The report said the rate of reporting perceived mistakes seemed linked to career satisfaction. "Surgeons reporting recent errors were less likely to report they would become a physician or a surgeon again and were also less likely to recommend their children pursue a career as a physician or surgeon."

Surgeons reporting a medical error were also associated with higher levels of burnout. "Each 1-point increase in depersonalization was associated with an 11% increase in the likelihood of reporting an error while each 1-point increase in emotional exhaustion was associated with a 5% increase," according to the report.

"The most important thing for those of us who work with other surgeons who do not appear well is to address it with them so that they can get the help they need," said Julie A. Freischlag, MD, chair of the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins and one of the study's authors.

In August, the same group of researchers led by Balch reported in Annals of Surgery that burnout is common among American surgeons and is the single greatest predictor of surgeons' satisfaction with career and specialty choice.