Background: Never before has physician suffering received as much attention in the peer-reviewed medical literature and popular media as now. The purpose of this paper is to propose that the manner in which these concerns are being addressed is further complicating physician and medical family well-being due to the perpetuation of work ambivalence.
Methods: A search of the English literature was conducted using PubMed to identify papers addressing physician burnout and other forms of psychosocial suffering. In addition, a review of case records from the past 40 years of clinical experiences as counselors and life coaches to physicians and their life mates was conducted.
Results: Reported levels of physician burnout and psychosocial morbidity have escalated over the past 10 years, as have clinically observed levels of work/life conflict expressed both by physicians and their spouses.
Discussion: We contend that the contemporary rhetoric addressing physicians' psychosocial experience is yielding the iatrogenic effect of promoting work ambivalence, which is a key building block in fostering physician burnout and its sequelae. We propose that curbing physician burnout requires a combination of empathy about the plight of physicians today, compassion that fuels workplace redesigns and family support, and self-compassion on the part of individual physicians.
Conclusions: Both clinical experience and research suggest that physician well-being can be enhanced by coaching physicians to protect positive engagement in their work while practicing resilience-enhancing tactics and strategies.