Blog & Articles

In 2019, the World Health Organization categorized burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. While burnout was a concern before COVID-19, its onset has exacerbated the problem.

According to an ACEP October 2020 poll, 87% of emergency physicians reported feeling more stressed since the start of the pandemic, and 72% reported experiencing more burnout on the job.

On the surface, burnout may be classified as a workforce issue; however, its far-reaching effects can threaten patient safety. In fact, research suggests that physicians experiencing burnout are twice as likely to make a medical error. Burnout should absolutely be considered one of the root causes of medical error.

[5 MIN READ]

Before the COVID pandemic, the medical community in general, and physicians in particular, were dealing with and continue to deal with a pandemic of its own: Burnout. In 2019, burnout was categorized as a disease by the WHO. It is characterized as:

“…a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

There are 3 dimensions of burnout:

[5 MIN READ]

Despite the wake-up call given almost 20 years ago by the Institute of Medicine’s report “To Err is Human,” medical errors still occur at alarming rates.

The landmark publication estimated that up to 98,000 Americans die each year from medical errors, and one out of every twenty-five hospitalized patients is harmed by a medical mistake.

There is, however, cause for guarded optimism. Many organizations, agencies and legislatures have stepped forward and created solutions and educational programs targeted at reducing medical errors.

[5 MIN READ]

With the concept of physician burnout taking center stage, questions have arisen regarding the factors affecting it, either positively or negatively. One particular factor that has been the topic of research is the use of electronic medical records (EMRs), specifically the link, if any, between EMRs and physician burnout.

This blog will hopefully answer these questions definitely: EMRs are a causative factor of burnout. These two quotes are fitting in this situation:

[3 MIN READ]

Over the past few blogs, I have written about the interaction of the physician and the patient. I have also discussed that physician satisfaction is the force that drives the practice of medicine. I am hoping that I have made a strong case for the topic today. But what is exactly the “missed obvious?”

There has been a tremendous push toward patient satisfaction.

So great was the push that payment structures, financial assistance, and government evaluations of hospitals and physicians were based on it. What is astonishing is that studies show patients to be more interested in how the physician interacted with them than how he or she treated them.

[4 MIN READ]

“I just wish they would let us be doctors.” These words came from the mouth of my colleague while we were working together in the emergency department one night. He was sharing his frustrations with his scribe at the time, lamenting the nostalgic and romantic idea of having the freedom to practice as a physician! His phrase resonates with so many physicians, and in its sentiment lies the very essence of physician burnout, loss of engagement, and the destruction of the fabric of medicine! Allow me to explain.

Adapted from an original blog by Paul Culler, MD, FACEP, FAAFP

[2 MIN READ]

I believe that having a good shift is a choice. In other words, I think that your mental outlook will influence whether you have a good shift or not. I recently heard someone use the phrase, “If you think you will or you think you won’t, you’re right!” This statement alludes to the fact that events will often unfold as self-fulfilling prophecies.

[4 MIN READ]

Behavioral neuroscientists talk about the moment, the exact second we make a decision and act upon it. They describe in almost obsessive detail all the neuronal pathways and neuronal firings that occur in our brain. They talk about influences of past and present, knowledge acquired and remembered, skills honed and sculpted, abilities, beliefs, social backgrounds, immediate stressors, mood, medications, current/immediate/past circumstances, possible future implications, and so much more. If you stop to think about it, what goes into that second of acting upon a decision, whether by words or actions, is really a reflection of present, past and future in all of us. Such a truly amazing phenomenon.

Now, take a minute to ask the patient if he or she cares about it?

[3 MIN READ]

According to Sir William Osler, “Medicine arose out of the primal sympathy of man with man; out of the desire to help those in sorrow, need and sickness.” I will highlight two words: “primal sympathy.”

Empathy and sympathy have been researched extensively in the human brain. To summarize, being altruistic, having sympathy, and being empathetic are primal instincts in us; these instincts are no different than hunger or thirst. 

Physician burnout is as epidemic as the plague once was, as malignant as the most devastating cancer, and as silent an assassin as hypertension. The topic has garnered much attention not only because of its impact on the healthcare practitioner, but also due to its detriment to the patient.

While a search for the term “physician burnout” produces massive amounts of data, self-help tips, and advice on prevention, the conversation lacks organization, uniformity and a standardized approach to the management of burnout.