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Physician Wellness Services provides a coordinated, comprehensive and confidential suite of services designed specifically for physicians and the organizations that employ them. National in scope, with wide-ranging expertise in every aspect of behavioral health. The Physician EAP Physician Intervention Services Training and consulting services
Web-based survey deployed in September, 2011 to nationwide, multi-specialty panel of 115k
2069 completed surveys representing 99% confidence level, +/- 3% margin of error against 750k active physician population in the US• Slight skew to non-primary care physicians• Skew more female, somewhat younger
than active physician population; average age 45.3 years
• Average years in practice: 13.1 • Employed by hospitals (41.3%), single or
The top 2 work-related impacts of stress and/or burnout were:• Lower job satisfaction (51.2% of
respondents)• Desire to work fewer hours (41.2%)
The next cluster indicated an overwhelming desire by respondents to do something different than what they are currently doing, job- and career-wise:• Desire to retire early (29.9%), desire to
leave the practice of medicine entirely for another career (27.6%), desire to switch jobs (21.8%) and desire to switch to a new practice (15.9%)
Decreasing job satisfaction Decreasing productivity Insufficient work/life balance Conflict at work and at home Feelings of irritability, moodiness, anger and
hostility General tiredness, lack of sleep and difficulty
sleeping Negative impacts on physical health Negative impacts on mental health such as
depression and anxiety, or symptoms such as apathy and cynicism, less interest in engaging with others, or in normal activities
Patient safety-related concerns such as difficulty making decisions, communicating effectively with others, and increased risk of medical errors
Physicians Are Suffering From a Number of Effects of Stress and Burnout
When asked if their organization currently provided support for stress and/or burnout, only 15.7% said yes
The top initiatives cited were:• Wellness initiatives (30.6%)• Workshops and education (29.3%)• Onsite exercise facilities or classes (19.1%) • EAP, counseling or other behavioral health
services (15.4%) Several respondents noted that it was
difficult to find time to utilize services, especially during normal clinical hours, and some were not available after hours
Current Organization-Sponsored Initiatives to Address Stress and Burnout
When asked what organization-sponsored initiatives they would like to help address their stress and burnout, physicians asked for:• More ancillary support, such as physician
aides, to deal with things like paperwork and charting (63.0%)
• Onsite exercise facilities or classes (38.9%) The next cluster involved wellness
initiatives (27.8%), workshops and education on managing and coping with stress and burnout (23.8%), concierge-type services (19.8%) and coaching and mentoring resources (18.5%)
Desired Organization-Sponsored Initiatives to Address Stress and Burnout
When asked what they were doing, themselves, to combat stress and/or burnout, the top 2 choices were:• Exercise (62.8%)• Spending time with family and friends
(56.9%) The next clusters were taking vacation
or time off (47.8%), watching movies or listening to music (44.3%), reading (38.0%) and getting more sleep (35.8%)
Several respondents noted that finding the time or money to do things to relieve stress was a challenge
What Physicians Are Doing to Combat Stress and Burnout
Physicians need more opportunities for and assistance with taking better care of themselves, and to understand and practice better self-care:• Onsite exercise facilities or classes• Workshops• Facilitated support groups• Physician wellness committees• Individual coaching• Time to take advantage of all resources• Easy accessibility—times, locations
A robust Physician Wellness Committee can provide valuable support and outreach, promote a “Culture of Wellness” Clear mission and scope Committee expertise and
commitment Administration support Resources—administrative support,
The data on the negative impact of sleep deprivation on patient safety and personal health have accelerated my burnout. I feel that in the near future working more than 12-18 hours and having an adverse outcome will expose me to liability based on sleep deprivation alone.
Physicians’ burnout negatively affects patients in a myriad of ways. Many doctors feel trapped and feel they can't leave. Coaching helped me have the strength and courage to leave. I am a much better doctor since I left and came back because I take care of myself first. It took me a long time to learn how to do that. Self sacrifice is rewarded but causes so many problems.
It is a problem with so many contributing issues. Most docs I work with are unhappy. I, myself, am miserable, depressed, drinking too much and unable to formulate a plan to change—while all day I help others.
We have to find a way to help docs recognize burnout. We didn't get through medical training by thinking about how it affected us; we just put our heads down and muscled through. You can do anything for 8 years, but you can't live that way for 40 years. We need to encourage ourselves to develop an external barometer so someone can tell us we're burning out.
I think surgeons in my generation are squeezed between those who are getting ready to retire and those who are starting but already set limits on what they are willing to do (hours, time and salary). The difference is carried by those of us who aren’t at either end. No wonder we are burned out.