Burnout Still High for Veterans Health Administration Health Care Workers

MONDAY, April 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Burnout remains above prepandemic levels for health care workers at the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA), according to a study published online April 21 in JAMA Network Open.

David C. Mohr, Ph.D., from the VHA in Mason, Ohio, and colleagues assessed how levels of burnout changed before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic among health care workers at the VHA. The analysis included responses to an annual organization-wide survey at 140 medical centers from 2018 to 2023.

The researchers found that annual burnout rates were 30.4 percent for 2018, 31.3 percent for 2019, 30.9 percent for 2020, 35.4 percent for 2021, 39.8 percent for 2022, and 35.4 percent for 2023. Over time, rates of professional stress from COVID-19 declined from 32.0 percent for 2020, 26.9 percent for 2021, 29.2 percent for 2022, and 21.4 percent for 2023. The highest burnout levels were seen among primary care physicians versus other service areas, ranging from 46.2 percent in 2018 to 57.6 percent in 2022. Mental health, dental, and rehabilitation service employees reported the highest increases in burnout rates. Compared with respondents who did not telework, burnout levels for respondents who teleworked most of the time were lower.

“In this survey study of VHA health care workers, burnout and professional stress decreased on average following the pandemic, but burnout levels remain elevated compared with prepandemic levels,” the authors write.

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