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Background <p>Currently, the health care system in Germany is facing a serious physician shortage. Previous research reported changes in working hours and a tendency towards a reduction in clinical hours. The aim was to investigate the relationship between changes in working hours and symptoms of burnout in German physicians over two time points.</p> Method <p>In 2020, a random sample of physicians from the Federal State of Saxony (Germany) was drawn. The current analyses are based on data from a longitudinal survey conducted in 2020 and 2024. Overall, a sample of <i>n</i> = 333 physicians working in both inpatient and outpatient care was investigated using descriptive and regression analyses. In a multivariate analysis predicting burnout symptoms (overall, patient-related, work-related, personal burnout) in 2024, sociodemographic factors such as age, sex and work-related aspects (i.e. medical setting and working hour characteristics), as well as burnout level in 2020, were controlled for.</p> Results <p>Overall, 19.2% (<i>n</i> = 64) of the sample reported no changes in working hours over 4&#xa0;years, whereas 27% (<i>n</i> = 90) reported an increase in working hours and 53.8% (<i>n</i> = 179) reported a decrease in working hours. In fact, a working hour reduction was significantly linked to lower overall burnout, lower personal burnout and lower work-related burnout at follow-up (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001 for all regression models), while controlling for covariates. No significant association between change in working hours and the third burnout dimension—patient-related burnout at follow-up—was found.</p> Discussion <p>The present findings emphasize that physician burnout remains a critical issue, especially in the context of clinical working hours. Reducing actual working hours and decreasing overwork may help to improve physician well-being. Future efforts should also focus on optimizing working conditions beyond hours alone—such as increasing schedule flexibility and addressing systemic stressors—to sustainably protect physicians’ health and ensure high-quality patient care.</p>

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Changes in working hours and burnout levels among physicians: a cohort study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月2日

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  • Franziska Ulrike Jung,
  • Erik Bodendieck,
  • Alexander Pabst,
  • Melanie Luppa,
  • Steffi G. Riedel-Heller

摘要

Background

Currently, the health care system in Germany is facing a serious physician shortage. Previous research reported changes in working hours and a tendency towards a reduction in clinical hours. The aim was to investigate the relationship between changes in working hours and symptoms of burnout in German physicians over two time points.

Method

In 2020, a random sample of physicians from the Federal State of Saxony (Germany) was drawn. The current analyses are based on data from a longitudinal survey conducted in 2020 and 2024. Overall, a sample of n = 333 physicians working in both inpatient and outpatient care was investigated using descriptive and regression analyses. In a multivariate analysis predicting burnout symptoms (overall, patient-related, work-related, personal burnout) in 2024, sociodemographic factors such as age, sex and work-related aspects (i.e. medical setting and working hour characteristics), as well as burnout level in 2020, were controlled for.

Results

Overall, 19.2% (n = 64) of the sample reported no changes in working hours over 4 years, whereas 27% (n = 90) reported an increase in working hours and 53.8% (n = 179) reported a decrease in working hours. In fact, a working hour reduction was significantly linked to lower overall burnout, lower personal burnout and lower work-related burnout at follow-up (p < 0.001 for all regression models), while controlling for covariates. No significant association between change in working hours and the third burnout dimension—patient-related burnout at follow-up—was found.

Discussion

The present findings emphasize that physician burnout remains a critical issue, especially in the context of clinical working hours. Reducing actual working hours and decreasing overwork may help to improve physician well-being. Future efforts should also focus on optimizing working conditions beyond hours alone—such as increasing schedule flexibility and addressing systemic stressors—to sustainably protect physicians’ health and ensure high-quality patient care.