The quality of life of New Zealand doctors and medical students: what can be done to avoid burnout?

Abstract

Life as a doctor or medical student poses particular challenges and stressors which can impact on quality of life. This paper sets out to review what is known about the quality of life of doctors and medical students and the ramifications of a poor quality of life. This paper summarises the national and international literature on what is known about quality of life and burnout with regards to both medical students and doctors in terms of the origin of these issues and various risk factors. This paper further recommends ways of addressing these issues from an undergraduate level, for doctors in practice, and then in the workplace. It is critical that the New Zealand medical workforce addresses these issues in a timely manner. In addition, the paper proposes that if doctors, particularly those involved as clinical teachers, have a poor quality of life, the learning environment for medical students may be adversely affected. Exploration of the evidence around these important issues and their relevance to the New Zealand context are considered with suggested solutions.