Research
Burnout? It's more common than not
At the GP22 conference in Melbourne at the end of November 2022, GPSA’s Director of Research, Dr Samia Toukhsati, presented the findings she developed with Monash University’s Dr Rebecca Kippen and GPSA’s former and current CEOs, Glen Wallace and Carla Taylor.
The aim of GPSA’s study was to explore the wellbeing and selfcare of GP supervisors in Australia.
The method included use of the 16-item Oldenburg Burnout Inventory to evaluate disengagement and exhaustion through a procedure involving:
Monash Human Research Ethics Committee approval (#19442) Feb 2022
Completion of the GPSA National Supervisor Survey by GPSA members in March-April 2022
Analysis of survey data, in particular socio-demographics, GP supervision experience, access to leave, indications of burnout and selfcare
What the literature says about burnout...
Burnout is an ‘occupational phenomenon’(1)
- Unrelenting workplace demands
- Unmeetable goals
Burnout is common in GPs around the world(2, 3), including GP registrars(4)
- Stressful, high pressured environments
- High workload and long hours
- Emotional strain(5)
Burnout occurs when one’s ‘wellbeing reservoir’ is depleted(4)
Discussion points
Burnout impacts over 70% of GP supervisors
Modifiable personal risk factors include:
- Working when unwell
- Selfcare (need to increase daily balance / self-awareness and mindfulness)
Benefit of increasing personal agency to set boundaries: empowerment and choice
Burnout represents a systemic workplace and workforce problem
Create resilient workplaces, not just resilient workers(6)
- Supportive culture
- Supportive policy
- Supportive tools
REFORM!
Change needed at the sector level, requiring a systems and government response(7)
- Urgent and increased government investment in general practice and workforce training
- National guidelines and organisational policies to prevent healthcare worker burnout(7)
- Model Work Health and Safety Regulations (as at 14 Apr 2022)(8) – 55A Psychosocial hazards; 55B Psychosocial risks; 55C-D Control measures
References
- World Health Organisation. International Classification of Disease for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics (ICD), 11th revision, Geneva, 2018
- HIMMS and NUANCE Communications. From overload to burnout. What clinicians think. 2021. Available at www.nuance.com/content/dam/nuance/en_uk/collateral/healthcare/white-paper/wp-from-overload-to-burnoutwhat-clinicians-think.pdf
- Shen et al. (2022). The global prevalence of burnout among general practitioners: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Family Practice, 2022, XX, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmab180
- Prentice et al. Burnout, wellbeing and how they relate: A qualitative study in general practice trainees. Med Educ. 2022; 1-13.
- Zarei et al. Prevalence of Burnout among Primary Health Care Staff and Its Predictors: A Study in Iran. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 2249; doi:10.3390/ijerph16122249
- Henderson JD. Self-Care is Not the Solution for Burnout. Medium, 14th Jan 2022. Available at https://index.medium.com/self-care-is-not-the-solution-for-burnout-6969bc0a2de6
- Warby T. Why Australia needs a systemic response to burnout. newsGP 24 Aug 2022. Available at https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/gp-opinion/why-australia-needs-a-systemic-response-to-burnout
- Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011. Available at https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-06/model_whs_regulations_-_14_april_2022.pdf
THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THE RESEARCH GPSA UNDERTAKES IN OUR EFFORT TO DEVELOP BEST PRACTICE RESOURCES, CREATE POLICIES FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF GP TRAINING CONDITIONS, AND ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF OUR MEMBERS.
TO REPRESENT YOU FAITHFULLY, WE NEED TO HEAR YOUR VOICE. PLEASE CONSIDER PARTICIPATING IN OUR MEMBER SURVEYS AND RESEARCH INTERVIEWS, AND REACH OUT TO US WITH ANY ISSUES / CONCERNS / QUERIES AT SUPPORT@GPSA.ORG.AU.
Date reviewed: 11 November 2025