Objective: To explore how it feels to be a burnt out GP in the NHS.
Design: In depth qualitative interviews with 16 UK GPs with self-declared 'lived experience' of burnout.
Setting: United Kingdom Primary Care.
Results: Seven male and nine female GPs described their experiences of burnout to a peer researcher. Themes identified were exhaustion and depersonalisation, mental and physical illness, identity and existential crises, and finally tenacity and resilience. Participants were self-reflective and described distress, shame, stigma, and guilt, including times of suicidal behaviour and isolation due to their burnout.
Conclusions: Burnout threatens a GP's sense of identity, purpose, and functioning in their lives, and ultimately can be life-threatening. Active listening to GP distress and a system wide approach to managing distress and burnout is urgently required.
Keywords: Burnout; general practice; primary care.
GP burnout can have life threatening effects on physical, mental, and spiritual health, with long term health and social sequelae.Despite this, GPs describe resilience, tenacity, and a strong sense of ongoing vocation.Urgent systemic action is needed to listen to GPs with experience of burnout.