Half of Massachusetts doctors surveyed have already or intend to soon cut back their clinical hours, and one in four plan to leave medicine altogether in the coming years, according to data released by a leading industry group.

Fueling concerns about staffing shortages that have plagued the health care industry and many other facets of the economy, the Massachusetts Medical Society said its survey of more than 500 members found a majority “experienced symptoms that reach the threshold for burnout.”

“This is one of the defining characteristics of problems with the medical system and especially the frontline worker system,” said Dr. Dean Singer, one of three partners of Bridge Primary on Arch Street in Greenfield. “That has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.”

Nearly 27% of respondents said they have already reduced their clinical work, and another 24% said they are “definitely” or “likely” to do so by June, according to the report. And the survey found high chances of further hits to the physician workforce: 14.2% said they “definitely” will leave the field in the next two years, alongside 12.8% who said their forthcoming departure is “likely.”

Signs of strain were stronger among certain demographic groups. About 63% of female doctors who participated in the survey showed symptoms of burnout, compared to 47% of male physicians.

The most common workplace stressors doctors cited were increased documentation requirements, a lack of available support staff, time devoted to prior authorization needs, non-medical administrators overreaching into medical decision-making and resource allocation, and turnover of staff.

“It makes it really difficult to stay in one position for a long time,” said Singer, who noted he’s held four jobs in the five years since he completed his medical training.

He added that much of the burnout is likely related to the insurance system and that the country “can’t find a way to provide a universal, basic right [to health care].”

Massachusetts Medical Society President Ted Calianos said the survey results “are not wholly surprising nor inconsistent with what is happening across the country, but they are distressing.”

“The scourge of physician burnout and compromised well-being among physicians and members of the health care team remains a threat to public health and patient care,” Calianos said. “The unprecedented stress placed upon health care workers and the health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic expectedly exacerbated an already troubling situation.”

Health care employers have been struggling with staffing issues for months. Last year, the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association estimated Massachusetts hospitals were about 19,000 full-time workers short.

“I think [burnout] has created a crisis in our health care system that’s only going to get worse,” Singer said. “I really have not seen any meaningful efforts by the government or the health care system as a whole.”

Greenfield Recorder reporter Mary Byrne contributed local information to this report.