PerfectServe Releases New Research on Clinician Burnout, Risks of Operational Inefficiency in Hospitals

Survey of nearly 350 clinicians in US reveals that operational inefficiencies accelerate burnout, worsen patient care

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. [November 13, 2025] — PerfectServe^®, a leading healthcare technology company specializing in unified clinical communication and provider scheduling solutions, today published a report with critical findings about clinician burnout and the operational inefficiencies that contribute to it in American hospitals. The report—which used survey results from nearly 350 clinicians across the US, almost two-thirds of whom have at least 8 years of experience in healthcare—revealed that a staggering 87% of physicians, nurses, and clinical staff experience daily communication breakdowns while providing care.

The report, “Clinician Survey: Why Clinician Wellness Starts with Operational Wellness,” found that clinicians don’t see traditional wellness programs and perks as meaningful solutions for burnout. Instead, they’re asking for more visibility with and transparency from hospital leadership, clearer communication workflows for patient care, equitable scheduling, fewer apps to manage, and less administrative burden.

Half of respondents cited workload intensity or fatigue from previous shifts as major stressors and attrition factors, while 7 in 10 indicated that inequities and inefficiencies were worsened by manual scheduling processes. The concerns spilled over to patient outcomes, as 96% of clinicians reported that they lost time for patient care due to systemic issues.

“Clinicians see a direct correlation between the non-clinical work they’re asked to do and the amount of time they’re able to spend on patient safety and care,” said PerfectServe Chief Innovation Officer Ben Moore. “By addressing the white noise, the excess admin work, delays in back-and-forth communication, and other common roadblocks, healthcare leaders can take better care of their clinicians and set them up to focus on the most urgent work affecting patient outcomes.”

Key Findings from the Report

PerfectServe’s survey uncovered several operational inefficiencies that threaten clinician retention, patient care, and business outcomes for hospitals:

• Operational issues directly impact patient care. Nearly all clinicians (96%) report losing patient care time due to systemic issues, including slow callbacks, redundant logins, app fatigue, and excessive non-clinical tasks. Nearly half of clinicians (49%) surveyed said that their employer’s current scheduling system does not adequately consider patient census or acuity when assigning schedules, and another 32% indicated that existing scheduling practices routinely overlook patient continuity of care when setting shifts and assigning clinicians. This can negatively impact patient transitions and overall clinical care.
• The workforce crisis is compounded by operational inefficiency. The US faces a projected shortfall of 86,000 physicians by 2036. At the same time, high nurse stress and attrition rates from long hours and inadequate compensation are made worse by scheduling and communication failures that add unnecessary toil to their day-to-day activities. The report found that burnout is exacerbated by inefficient scheduling, with telltale symptoms like workload imbalances, cumulative exhaustion, and failure to honor time-off requests. Together, these frustrations present an expensive problem for hospital leadership—clinician burnout is anticipated to cost the healthcare system nearly $4.6 billion annually.
• Patient safety risks stem from communication gaps. Only 46% of clinicians feel confident they can reach the right colleague in urgent scenarios. Research shows that communication failures contribute to more than 60% of hospital adverse events in the US.

“What clinicians are describing are symptoms of deeper operational issues—how schedules are built, how alerts are managed, and how communication flows during a shift,” said PerfectServe SVP of Client Services Miriam Halimi, JD, DNP, MBA, RN-BC. “To make a real impact on wellness, leaders have to strengthen these core systems. When operations run smoothly, care teams can focus on patients instead of fighting the process.”

To download the full report from PerfectServe, click here.

About PerfectServe 

PerfectServe accelerates speed to care by optimizing provider schedules, streamlining clinical communication, and engaging patients and their families in the care experience. Our cloud-based software simplifies complex clinical workflows and schedules with secure and timely communication by dynamically routing messages to the right person at the right time. We drive more efficient care collaboration in all settings to improve patient outcomes and bring joy back to caregivers. PerfectServe has over 25 years of experience and is a trusted partner to more than 500 hospitals and 30,000 medical practices. 

Press Contact Information: 

Matt Kothe
PerfectServe
mkothe@perfectserve.com

Stephanie Pryor
LANC Marketing, LLC
stephanie@lancmarketing.com