Traumatized Physicians

To provide relief to the suffering of others—be it physical, mental, or spiritual suffering—is one of the greatest privileges afforded a physician. Yet, frequent or prolonged exposure to this suffering is not without risk—the risk of being overwhelmed and consumed by the suffering of others. When this happens, the physician may become as traumatized as the patients he or she is caring for. This privilege of providing this care, and the possible risk, is part of the spectrum of the life of a physician. This entry briefly summarizes current thinking about the ways in which physicians may become traumatized by witnessing the suffering of their patients, what the possible negative and positive consequences of this witnessing are, how such effects may be measured, compassion fatigue and burnout in physicians, and possible ways of managing and mitigating the effects.

The nature of the work, and the environment in which a doctor works, can contribute to a doctor's distress. Tensions in the professional life of a doctor can include high intensity of work, conflicting time demands, heavy professional responsibility, frequently working in an environment with reduced physical and social resources, threat of medico-legal action, and limited power to alter the work conditions. Geoff Riley described this as working in an environment with a “lack of control or lack of reward in the face of unrelenting effort” (2004, p. 350) and concluded by saying, “The prospect of a lifetime of joyless striving is unacceptable” (p. 353).

Being aware of and learning to manage and work with the emotions experienced throughout the years as a doctor can affect both the care provided by a doctor and the doctor's own well-being. This lack of awareness can contribute to reduced quality of patient care. Research has demonstrated the value of a physician being emotionally competent by recognizing and acknowledging their emotional responses.