The Power of We: Why Connection is the Best Medicine for Loneliness and Burnout in Healthcare
In 2021 I gave a TEDx talk entitled, Connection: The Antidote to Physician Burnout and Attrition. Here I visit this topic once again through the lens of loneliness. I discuss loneliness amongst physicians, how this impacts our healthcare teams and the care we provide, and how intentionally implementing routines and strategies that promote genuine connection can mitigate loneliness and improve wellbeing within healthcare teams.
Despite the constant flurry of activity on hospital wards and in clinics, healthcare remains, perhaps counterintuitively, one of the loneliest professions. A recent Harvard Business Review calls out loneliness as a silent epidemic in medicine, with profound implications for physician well-being, team performance, and ultimately, patient care. Loneliness is a risk factor for emotional exhaustion, and various studies have shown that emotional exhaustion, one of the primary factors in burnout, is associated with higher rates of infections in patients, greater number of medical errors, lower patient satisfaction rates, and higher standardized mortality ratios. The reverse is also true. We know that having a best friend at work makes clinicians seven times less likely to experience burnout, and studies show that strong friend and colleague support directly reduce emotional exhaustion.
Yet, the structure of most healthcare organizations often works against these vital connections. Long hours, rigid hierarchies, and a culture that values stoicism leave many clinicians feeling disconnected, even while working side-by-side. Furthermore, the opportunities for physicians to get to know each other and create friendships have slowly been disappearing. In the not-so-distant past, there used to be physician lounges where physicians could come together as humans, perhaps share a meal, and discuss some of the challenges they might be facing in an informal and friendly way. These lounges and other places where physicians could “remove their armor” and simply share their human experience with colleagues are currently rarely found in healthcare institutions. Additionally, the days where departments would host lunches, dinners, or team building retreats for their physicians and healthcare teams have dwindled down to almost never. Physicians and their teams are provided very few, if any, opportunities to get to know each other and build real relationships. Over time, this has led to an increasing sense of isolation. And left unchecked, this isolation quietly drains energy, creativity, and resilience, fueling a hidden epidemic of burnout across our healthcare system.
Loneliness: A Hidden Force Behind Burnout
Understanding just how deeply disconnection impacts healthcare professionals is key to addressing the roots of burnout. Research led by Rogers and colleagues (2016) found that both friend and colleague support were statistically associated with loneliness in resident physicians, and that lower loneliness predicted less personal and work-related burnout.
These consequences go far beyond individual well-being. Loneliness has been likened to smoking 15 cigarettes a day for health outcomes, costing U.S. organizations up to $154 billion annually in lost productivity and turnover. Alarmingly, loneliness is much less obvious and more insidious. Meetings are still attended and charts filled, but collaboration becomes transactional and initiative slowly fades.
What Drives Loneliness in Healthcare?
There are multiple factors that contribute to isolation and loneliness in healthcare. A few of the top ones include:
· Relentless schedules and understaffing that leave little time for genuine connection
· A culture of perfectionism that discourages vulnerability or “showing weakness”
· Hierarchical systems that create barriers between physicians and their staff, as well as frontline physicians and administrative leadership
· The often-transitional nature of teams due to rotation and shift schedules
Unfortunately, the ramifications can be devastating. When connection erodes so do trust, communication, and resilience-the factors that keep burnout at bay and drive high quality care.
Connection is Critical Infrastructure-Not a “Nice-to-Have”
The good news is that loneliness and burnout are not inevitable. When leaders embed opportunities for genuine connection into the daily rhythms and rituals of work, they spark energy, innovation, and well-being. This is the core of MARPE’s Intentionally Conscious Healthcare programs. They provide a science-backed step-by-step approach to establish relationships and build the six foundational pillars of high-functioning healthcare teams.
Here is how each pillar offers practical solutions and a pathway out of isolation:
Six Pillars to Combat Burnout and Improve the Well-being of Healthcare Teams
Triple Purpose
Why it matters: Connecting daily tasks to personal, team, and organizational purpose fuels true belonging and beats burnout.
Teams with shared purpose report up to 40% higher engagement and are less likely to experience burnout (Gallup, 2022).
Try this:
Begin team meetings with a “why our work matters” round, letting each member connect their day’s work to a greater purpose.
Earned Trust
Why it matters:
Trust is built through transparency and follow-through, not just likeability. Reliable teams lessen isolation and anxiety.
Transparent team commitments and follow-through reduce emotional exhaustion and increase perceived support by up to 30% (Rogers et al., 2016)
When leaders consistently provide positive feedback, the level of leadership rises. Each 10-point increase in leadership is associated with a 28% reduction in the odds of burnout for the respondent. (Sexton et al., 2018)
Try this:
Create a visible “commitments board” and use supportive check-ins to track and celebrate follow-through, avoiding blame and focusing on wins.
Healthy Conflict
Why it matters:
Open, respectful disagreement signals safety and deepens authentic connection.
Teams open to respectful debate report 25% better problem-solving and higher innovation (Harvad Business Review, 2023)
Try this:
Practice “Yes, and…” circles. Set aside time for safe, structured debates, ensuring all voices are heard and ideas explored.
Psychological Safety
Why it matters:
When people feel safe to speak up—even with leadership present—emotional exhaustion drops, engagement rises, and teams thrive.
Psychological safety interventions decrease burnout and increase retention by up to 20% among healthcare teams (Google Project Aristotle; Kanov et al., 2024)
Try this:
Launch quick “voice rounds” at meetings, encouraging everyone to share an idea or concern, and listen without interruption.
Mutual Accountability
Why it matters:
Shared support transforms burnout from a personal burden to a team challenge. Wellbeing becomes everyone’s responsibility.
Shared accountability systems have been shown to double completion rates of team goals and decrease turnover. (American Journal of health Promotion, 2021).
Try this:
Use “accountability triads” where members check in weekly, help troubleshoot challenges, and celebrate shared wins.
Continued Learning and Growth
Why it matters:
Learning together from both successes and failures builds engagement, resilience, and a culture of connection.
Teams that regularly reflect on both successes and failures experience 37% less burnout and report stronger workplace satisfaction (Edmonson, Harvard).
Try this:
Host monthly “Lessons Learned” roundtables so team workers can reflect on what’s working, what’s not, and how to improve together.
Leading One of the Loneliest Professions with Intention
The message for healthcare leaders is clear: Connection isn’t soft. It’s a critical part of the infrastructure. Every team huddle, staff meeting, or team interaction can either reinforce genuine connection or increase the sense of isolation. Leaders who acknowledge their own need for connection and commit to supporting their teams build these six pillars, will see a ripple effect of lower burnout, higher retention, improved team efficiency, and ultimately higher quality patient care.
A Call to Action:
Loneliness presents an urgent challenge but also an unprecedented opportunity. In an era when burnout is rampant, those who invest in the power of we will build stronger, more resilient teams and healthier organizations.
It’s time to move from isolation to intentional connection. My company, MARPE, LLC’s, Intentionally Conscious Healthcare programs provide teams with the evidence-based tools and support to embed these six pillars into daily practice fostering a culture where everyone can feel seen, valued, and energized.
Ready to help your team thrive? Let’s start a conversation about bringing the Power of We to your organization. Together, we can create the connected, purpose-driven environment your clinicians and your patients deserve.
References
Rogers E, Polonijo AN, Carpiano RM. “Getting by with a little help from friends and colleagues: Testing how residents' social support networks affect loneliness and burnout.” Canadian Family Physician. 2016 Nov;62(11):e677-e683. PMCID: PMC9844583
Corbaz-Kurth, S., Weissbrodt, R., Juvet, T. M., Hannart, S., Krsmanovic, B., Salamin Plaschy, I., & Terrier, P. (2025). How does trust emerge in interprofessional collaboration? A qualitative study of the significance, importance, and dynamics of trust in healthcare teams and networks. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2025.2495013
Sexton JB, Adair KC, Leonard MW, et al Providing feedback following Leadership WalkRounds is associated with better patient safety culture, higher employee engagement and lower burnout
BMJ Quality & Safety 2018;27:261-270.
Harvard Business Review (2025). “Creating Connected Workplaces in an Era of Loneliness.” Read more.
Gallup (2022). “State of the Global Workplace Report: Shared Purpose and Engagement.”
Google Project Aristotle. “What makes a team effective at Google?”
Kanov J, et al. (2024). “The Impact of Psychological Safety Interventions on Burnout and Retention in Healthcare Teams.” Journal of Healthcare Management.
Edmondson, A. (Harvard). “Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy.”
American Journal of Health Promotion (2021). “Shared Accountability and Team Goal Achievement: A Meta-Analysis.”
Harvard Business Review (2023). “Why Constructive Conflict Drives Innovation.”
U.S. Surgeon General (2017). “Work and the Loneliness Epidemic.” Read more.
Tedx Talk: Connection: The Antidote to Physician Burnout and Attrition https://www.marpejourney.com/media-marpe-1