A landmark Commonwealth Fund survey of nearly 11,000 general practitioners across 10 countries has confirmed what Australian GPs have been saying for years: administrative burden is the single biggest driver of burnout, and it’s pushing doctors to the brink.

The Numbers Behind the Crisis

The 2025 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey found that 32% of Australian GPs report feeling burned out — a figure that sits between the highest rate (43% in the United States) and the lowest (11% in the Netherlands). For practices recruiting internationally, this context matters: Australian GPs are faring better than their US counterparts but significantly worse than those in several European systems with more streamlined administration.

Crucially, among Australian GPs experiencing burnout, 83% said they were “somewhat” or “very” dissatisfied with the time spent on administrative work. The primary culprit? Administrative burden — cited by 21% of burned-out Australian GPs as the main cause. Patient complexity was the second leading factor, with roughly one-third of burned-out Australian GPs saying their patient mix is too large or complex, second only to Sweden at 48%.

What This Means for GP Recruitment

For practices and recruiters, these findings translate directly into workforce stability risks. The survey found burned-out GPs globally are more likely to be dissatisfied with their jobs, experience emotional distress, and — most critically — plan to stop seeing patients in the near future. In Australia, however, there’s a notable silver lining: despite high burnout rates, Australian GPs were the least likely among the 10 countries to say they’d stop seeing patients within one to three years. This suggests a strong professional commitment that practices can leverage — if they address the root causes.

The Admin Problem Is Structural, Not Personal

RACGP NSW&ACT Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman, who has researched GP burnout extensively, told newsGP the findings reflect on-the-ground reality: “Most admin either unnecessarily adds time so there’s nothing that you gain from doing it… or it’s all the unpaid admin time, which is admittedly quite exhausting.” She described GPs arriving an hour early, staying an hour late, or working through lunch just to clear administrative backlogs — time that sits on top of normal clinical hours.

The Commonwealth Fund report praised Australia’s “centralised platform for billing, documentation, and messaging” — but Dr Hoffman strongly disagrees: “There are no centralised systems — I use a different system if I’m referring to adult hospitals, if I’m referring to children’s hospitals, if I’m referring to outpatient departments… All of them require different log-ons, which is perfectly good for safety and data security and definitely needed, but it’s all adding time to your day.”

What Practices Can Do Now

While systemic fixes require government and college advocacy, practices can take immediate steps to reduce admin-driven burnout and make themselves more attractive to GP candidates:

• Streamline referral pathways — map your top 10 referral destinations and advocate for integrated electronic referrals where possible.
• Audit unpaid admin time — survey your GPs on hours spent on non-clinical tasks weekly; use the data to justify practice manager support or scribe roles.
• Reduce authority prescription friction — the RACGP’s 2025 Health of the Nation report identified this as the top administrative pain point (44% of GPs). Push for digital authority scripts where available.
• Highlight admin support in job ads — candidates increasingly ask “what admin support do you provide?” Practices with dedicated admin staff, scribes, or streamlined IT should advertise this prominently.

The Commonwealth Fund warns that unaddressed burnout “will undermine the performance of our health systems.” For Australian general practice, the message is clear: recruitment isn’t just about offering higher salaries or rural incentives — it’s about creating workplaces where GPs can spend their time on medicine, not paperwork.

This article draws on reporting from RACGP newsGP — read the original here: https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/how-does-burnout-impact-gps-globally