Why Trauma Surgeons Don’t Sleep : Jamie Coleman on Lifestyle and Measuring Burnout in Surgeons

Trauma surgeons report the lowest quality of life among 13 surgical specialties and work the greatest number of hours. Jamie Coleman MD, Professor of Surgery at the University of Louisville and Deputy & Web Editor of JAMA Surgery, set out to quantify what that can cost. She and co-authors tracked sleep, stress, and recovery in 224 acute care surgeons using wearable devices and daily surveys. The data revealed that sleep loss correlates directly with burnout. Interestingly, doing the work you trained for, even at 2 a.m., offsets burnout in ways that sitting on call at home does not. Jamie and I discuss what system-level changes are needed so surgeons can actually recover.  ▶ Subscribe YouTube @resaelewissmd  🎙️ Search "The Visible Voices Podcast" on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. New episodes on Wednesdays