The data: Just under half of physicians (47%) report feeling burned out, and about 80% say their burnout is mostly or entirely driven by work-related stress, according to an August Medscape survey of 5,159 US physicians across roughly 25 specialties.

Bureaucratic tasks like charting and paperwork (63%) and long work hours (40%) are the leading drivers of physician burnout. Many burned-out physicians have discussed work-related stress with administrators or adjusted their hours or workflows, while 14% say their burnout is severe enough to consider leaving medicine altogether.

Why it matters: An already strained healthcare system is losing clinician capacity, and demand for care will only grow from an aging population with more chronic conditions.

The US is facing an estimated shortage of approximately 57,000 physicians—equivalent to roughly 6% of its 1 million-strong active physician workforce—based on prior-year projections from the Health Resources and Services Administration. The deficit could reach 114,000 by 2028, per HRSA, meaning patients may face longer waits and reduced access to care, while remaining physicians will shoulder heavier caseloads that compound burnout and retention challenges.

Implications for pharma marketers: Physician shortages make healthcare professionals (HCPs) harder to reach. Time-strapped clinicians have less tolerance for low-value outreach from pharma brands marketing drugs and treatments. Already, 68% of physicians feel burned out by pharma emails, per 2025 Highp data, while 65% have reduced or stopped engaging with a pharma company after a poor digital experience, according to Graphite Digital. For marketers, lengthy rep visits, generic emails, cumbersome websites, and repetitive brand messages will be competing with increasingly constrained clinical time.

As more pharma marketers shift to a personalized, AI-powered approach to reach HCPs, they need to consider these three steps:

• Evaluate physicians’ specific patient volume and workforce constraints before reaching out.
• Collaborate with sales reps to understand clinicians’ preferred channels and use AI-driven insights to personalize drug information accordingly.
• Keep messaging concise and easy to navigate, placing high-impact data like clinical trial results front and center.

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