Telehealth surge triggers clinician burnout, HR steps in
VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES — As healthcare organizations strive to meet the growing demand for virtual services, HR leaders are confronting a mounting burnout crisis that threatens retention, patient satisfaction, and long-term workforce sustainability, according to a report from SHRM Business.
Virtual care boom intensifies workload pressure
Telemedicine adoption is projected to grow more than 11 percent in the next five years. Yet the very efficiencies that make virtual care attractive are creating new pressure points.
Stacked video appointments, constant digital messaging, and a lack of clear work boundaries have led to increased exhaustion among clinicians.
Virtual care’s “always-on” model is overwhelming staff and contributing to high turnover. Half of burned-out clinicians are already searching for new jobs or will soon be doing so. The result is a destabilizing cycle of staffing gaps and rising patient wait times.
“As virtual demand grows, so does the need to balance access and clinician workload,” said DJ Campbell, SHRM-SCP, chief HR officer at Sanford Health.
HR leaders, he noted, face the dual responsibility of protecting clinician well-being while ensuring that telehealth remains viable in the long term.
Rethinking staffing models and workforce planning
Traditional staffing frameworks were built around predictable in-person schedules, not fluctuating digital demand.
“Digital care has introduced new patterns of demand that fluctuate by hour, day, and season — often in ways that don’t align with traditional staffing plans built around predictable clinic schedules,” Campbell said.
Campbell highlighted that effective organizations rely on shared decision-making across HR, operations, and clinical leaders to adjust staffing models.
“HR provides analytics and workforce design expertise, operations ensure alignment with access and throughput goals, and clinical leaders bring front-line insight into workload and patient safety,” he said.
He added that “the cognitive load of virtual care can be significant,” noting that managing multiple screens and rapid transitions can lead to mental fatigue faster than in-person care.
Outsourcing and hybrid staffing ease burnout risks
The challenges outlined present strategic opportunities for outsourcing partners in healthcare operations, particularly those offering remote clinical support, telehealth triage services, and administrative back-office functions.
Shared staffing pools and remote coverage models mirror solutions widely used in the healthcare outsourcing sector, where global delivery centers can provide overflow workforce capacity during peak demand.
Organizations are also testing new flexible scheduling structures and hybrid rotation plans.
“A well-designed telemedicine staffing model delivers both operational and clinical returns,” Campbell said.
As telehealth evolves, sustaining high-quality virtual care will depend on workforce planning that protects clinicians while maintaining access to care. For many healthcare systems, that means HR will play a central role in shaping the future of care delivery.
