Doctor burnout linked to overprescribing opioids, antibiotics: study

Doctor burnout has been linked to overprescribing opioids and antibiotics, a new study suggests.

The study published in the British Journal of General Practice found that general practitioners who work long hours are up to five times more likely to prescribe high levels of medications.

Researchers at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) center at the University of Manchester surveyed 320 GPs over 57 practices between December 2019 and April 2020 for signs of burnout including emotional exhaustion, low job satisfaction and feeling detached from colleagues and patients.

They linked the burnout scores to an analysis of UK data from 13,483 patients on strong opioid prescriptions and 26,744 patients on antibiotics over the same four-month period.

This was the first study to look at the association of prescribing potentially addictive medications with burnout as a practice-level problem, Dr. Alexander Hodkinson, of the NIHR at Manchester University, said in a release.

“Over a four-month period we found higher prescribing of strong opioids and antibiotics among GPs experiencing more feelings of burnout,” Hodkinson said. “Strong opioids and antibiotic overuse can harm patients in the long-term which is why it is important to prevent their overprescribing.”

He added, “That is why policies are urgently needed to help mitigate burnout in general practice.”

The misuse and overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, which means a number of infections — including pneumonia, tuberculosis and gonorrhea — are becoming harder to treat as antibiotics become less affected, according to the World Health Organization.

Resistance to antibiotics can lead to higher medical costs, longer stays at the hospital and increased death rates. 

Findings showed that GPs with low job satisfaction were 30% and 10% more likely to prescribe opioids and antibiotics, respectively, while those with more emotional exhaustion had a 20% greater risk of overprescribing both.

Detachment from colleagues and patients was linked with a 10% higher risk of prescribing opioids and a 20% higher risk for antibiotics.

The study showed a higher correlation for GPs located in more deprived areas, with a two times greater risk of overprescribing opioids and a 1.6 times greater risk for antibiotics.

Research also discovered that GPs who were looking to leave their jobs were 30% more likely to overprescribe opioids and 40% more likely to give out too many antibiotics.

“Our findings suggest that one possible way to prevent overprescribing may be to encourage practices to take care of the well-being of their GP,” Hodkinson suggested.

“Perhaps more regular monitoring of the well-being of GPs through health-related surveys, wellness programs and other measures to improve the working climate might be a helpful way to promote safe and appropriate prescribing strategies.”