The palliative care workforce could be facing some serious shortages moving forward, and this could create huge headaches for post-acute and long-term care communities. According to a new survey, about 40% of the palliative care physician workforce is 56 years old or older and many of these individuals are planning retirement in the next decade. At the same time, burnout and poor work-life balance issues are causing some practitioners to leave the field. One-third of survey respondents reported feeling burned out. With more practitioners leaving the field while the older population continues to skyrocket, the patient-to-physician ratios are expected to get worse for at least 25 years. They survey authors suggest that adopting new policies to expand training opportunities and reduce burnout would help reduce the palliative care practitioner shortages. Read the full article.
