Is Burnout Impacting You and Your Practice?

In an article published by The American Journal of Medicine, researchers connected physician burnout and respect. The researchers modified psychologist Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy into a five-tier physician burnout and wellness hierarchy with the third tier being respect. Researchers found that feelings of disrespect may be manifested through interactions with peers, patients, or others that we work with.

Recently we have shared insight on the importance of communication and building a culture of accountability. These are the first components of our C.A.R.E program – Communication, Accountability, Respect, and Empowerment.

This week we’ll look at the third pillar, Respect. It may seem that this is a simple concept and that respect occurs organically but respect is often taken for granted until someone feels disrespected.

A recent survey* found that 80% of physicians said they felt burned out before COVID-19 struck the world and one in five said their burnout materialized in 2020.

The same survey also noted that a person’s ability to respond to change had a direct impact on their level of burnout and noted that environments that provided strong communication, teamwork, and leadership experienced decreased levels of burnout.

Elements of burnout have been a part of a medicine since the 1800’s and will always be a part of medicine but being aware of the signs and managing them will minimize the negative impact. The impact extends to patients, family, and staff.

I encourage you to recognize the signs, embrace change and take action to build a healthier practice and life.

If you’re ready to move forward, we can help. The essence of our work focuses on building practice infrastructures that focus on communication, teamwork, and leadership. Let’s grow your practice together from the inside out.

*George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services