How Patient-Physician Relationships Can Reduce Physician Burnout

Primary care physicians (PCPs) experience some of the highest rates of physician burnout and anxiety. 79% of PCPs report experiencing symptoms compared to 68% of all surveyed physicians. On the other side, however, many surveys have also found that for 79% of physicians, their relationships with patients were their greatest source of job satisfaction. Authors of the Physicians Foundation’s Biennial Survey of America’s Physicians stated that:

What attracts most physicians to medicine is the unique nature of the physician/patient relationship, a fact confirmed by this survey. The majority of physicians submit to the grueling and expensive grind that is medical education and training primarily in order to play a positive role in the lives of other human beings.

Unfortunately, the current healthcare model, with the pressure to see more patients during a single day and more administrative demands on physicians,   prevents a strong patient-physician relationship. Caralyst is working to create a mindset shift within the healthcare industry and make the patient-physician relationship one of the foremost aspects of healthcare. By matching patients with physicians based on their shared identities, personalities, and communication styles, Caralyst is fostering a strong relationship even before the first interaction. We aim to tackle physician burnout by allowing physicians to focus on what inspired them to practice medicine in the first place: their patients.