Preventing Burnout Among General Practitioners: is There a Possible Route?

Abstract

Stress and burnout among general practitioners (GPs) is a serious problem. Some authors suggest supervision groups or Balint groups as a means of preventing burnout and others address how to treat the condition. This paper reports a case study of a supervision group for Danish GPs which, as well as training reflective practice, focuses specifically on the prevention of burnout. The concept of compassion fatigue is extended to cover the circumstances reported by some practitioners in supervision.