ED burnout

Hey all

Found an interesting article on Healthecareers.com by Emily O'Brien. On Doctor Burnout and what it means

Burnout is tough on anyone. It disrupts happiness levels, relationships to those closest to us, and even our careers. 

The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) tool is used to measure emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and dissatisfaction with work accomplishments and measures job fatigue as defined by the World Health Organization. MBI is recognized as the leading measure of burnout and authenticated by decades of extensive research. 

A 2017 Mayo Clinic study declared that almost half of the United States doctors—an astounding 44 percent—report some degree of burnout. But for physicians, this exhaustion cuts even deeper. 

There's a ripple effect: decreased patient care and an impact on the healthcare system.

One key factor contributing to discontent is electronic health record systems. In fact, one study that found that for every hour physicians spend with patients, two hours are spent on documentation. 

Mayo Clinic refers to job burnout as a "special type of work-related stress—a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity." While it might not be a medical diagnosis, some experts believe other physical and mental conditions, such as depression, headaches, insomnia, and stomach aches, play important roles, and burnout can cause marital strains, substance abuse, and other mental and physical troubles as well. Physician fatigue not only contributes negatively to a doctor's well-being but also to patient care and the healthcare system as a whole. Medical errors, decreased work productivity, and poor quality of patient care are all consistent negative impacts.

Burnout is a lose-lose situation

When physicians experience extreme career fatigue, medical errors are more likely to occur, along with malpractice suits. Patients also report decreased satisfaction and the quality of there's affected. Doctors suffering from burnout are less productive and may even quit, causing more burden on the healthcare system.

What can we do?

-Establish a reporting requirement for electronic health record adverse events "just as the (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration requires adverse event reporting with respect to devices it regulates."

-Require healthcare employers to measure physician wellness.

-Update laws to offer incentives that encourage employers to address burnout

-Invest in research on clinician well-being

Have anymore ideas? Let us know.

So far so much!