The Kiwi doctor who recently led the charge to make an amendment to the modern day Hippocratic Oath says doctor burnout is at "epidemic" levels but small changes can make all the difference.
Dr Sam Hazledine, owner of one of Australasia's biggest medical recruitment agencies, MedRecruit, said he delved into the issue because he was concerned about the high rate of burnout among doctors around the world and the lack of research into how to manage it.
"What I found was terrifying. About 50 per cent of doctors around the world are in burnout right now ... It's an epidemic," he said. "The thing about doctors is we don't display it. We have a very good professional facade of competence."
A study in New Zealand last year found about half of all medical specialists in public hospitals were suffering from high rates of burnout while a study of more than 2000 American physicians showed 87 per cent were stressed beyond levels that were productive.
While it was not healthy for those in the profession, Hazledine said the biggest problem with doctors being burnt out was that it increased the chance of major medical errors.