In the evolving landscape of healthcare, the intricate dynamics of team staffing have come under increasing scrutiny for their profound impact on physician well-being and retention. A recent pivotal study, presented at the 2025 Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting and published in JAMA Internal Medicine, illuminates a critical nexus between incomplete team staffing and physician burnout, underscoring systemic challenges that threaten the sustainability of clinical care delivery.
Physicians routinely operate within multidisciplinary teams designed to optimize patient outcomes through coordinated expertise. However, this study reveals that the frequent experience of working with incompletely staffed teams significantly correlates with heightened levels of psychological and occupational distress among physicians. Such distress manifests not only as burnout but also substantially influences intentions to reduce clinical work hours and intentions to leave one’s current healthcare organization. These behavioral intentions often precede actual workforce attrition, signaling an urgent call for organizational and policy-level interventions.
Burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a diminished sense of personal accomplishment, has garnered attention as a public health issue within medical professions. This investigation adds a nuanced layer by demonstrating that understaffing at the team level acts as a potent stressor, catalyzing these detrimental psychological states. The data suggest that physicians encounter substantial operational strain when colleagues are absent or roles remain unfilled, intensifying workload demands and undermining professional efficacy.
Moreover, the association between incomplete team staffing and the intent to modify clinical work hours reflects adaptive responses by physicians seeking to mitigate stress exposure. Reduced clinical hours may initially serve as a protective mechanism to preserve mental health; however, widespread shifts in work hours could exacerbate shortages and strain remaining staff, propagating a vicious cycle that destabilizes care systems.
The study further identifies a significant link between incomplete staffing and the inclination of physicians to leave their employing organizations altogether. Intent to leave (ITL) is a recognized precursor to actual turnover, which carries substantial ramifications for healthcare systems, including disruptions in continuity of care, increased recruitment costs, and compromised institutional knowledge. The findings highlight that ensuring adequate staffing is not merely an operational concern but a strategic imperative for workforce sustainability.
Methodologically, this research employed robust quantitative analyses, adjusting for potential confounders to isolate the impact of staffing completeness on physician outcomes. The study’s rigor, combined with its timely relevance amidst national discussions on physician workforce resilience, lends substantial weight to its conclusions. It suggests that staffing adequacy should be prioritized as a modifiable factor in addressing physician burnout and attrition.
Importantly, this work contributes to the broader discourse on health care delivery efficiency and quality. Incomplete staffing may impede multidisciplinary collaboration, reduce care coordination, and elevate risks for medical errors, thereby influencing patient safety dimensions. By connecting staffing challenges to physician well-being and retention, the study indirectly signals potential downstream effects on patient outcomes and institutional performance metrics.
The implications of these findings extend beyond individual health systems, inviting policy stakeholders to re-evaluate workforce planning, resource allocation, and organizational culture within healthcare. Implementing strategies that enhance team completeness could involve targeted recruitment, retention incentives, workload redistribution, and investment in supportive infrastructure to foster resilience among clinical staff.
Furthermore, the study touches on the interplay between physician scientists and clinical practitioners, especially within internal medicine, where balancing research and clinical duties demands comprehensive team support. Adequate staffing enables physicians to fulfill multifaceted roles without compromising personal well-being or professional commitments.
The demographic context of the United States population, characterized by an aging populace and increasing chronic disease burden, intensifies pressures on internal medicine and broader healthcare delivery systems. As demands surge, the importance of stable, well-supported physician teams becomes ever more critical to meet patient needs effectively and sustainably.
In conclusion, this incisive analysis underscores that incomplete team staffing is more than a logistical inconvenience—it is a driving factor in the erosion of physician wellness and retention. Addressing this challenge is essential to safeguard the health of both providers and patients and to ensure the vitality of contemporary healthcare delivery in the United States.
For correspondence and further details, contact Lisa S. Rotenstein, MD, MBA, MSc, via email at lisa.rotenstein@ucsf.edu. The full peer-reviewed article is available through JAMA Internal Medicine and will be accessible at embargo time for media and public consumption.
Subject of Research: Impact of incomplete team staffing on physician burnout, clinical work hours, and intent to leave healthcare organizations.
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References: doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.1679
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Keywords: Stressors, Physician scientists, United States population, Health care delivery, Internal medicine
