Commentary

Physician impairment: A need for prevention

Current Psychiatry. 2018 September;17(9):41-44

References

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There has been a paradigm shift in focus across medical boards, professional societies, and medical colleges. They are recognizing that personal well-being can help prevent burnout and, in turn, change the landscape of medicine from endless work to balanced lives that yield more satisfying and joyful work. It is becoming an accepted fact in medicine that well-being is just as important as integrity, professionalism, and patient safety. For example, the American Academy of Medical Colleges (AAMC) issued a statement emphasizing the importance of clinician well-being and dedicated its June 2016 Leadership Forum to a range of topics addressing depression, resilience, burnout, and suicide in academic medicine.¹⁶

Anita Everett, MD, put the spotlight on physician well-being during her term as American Psychiatric Association President (2017 to 2018). She formed a specific workgroup on Physician Wellness and Burnout where there is a community focus on prevention and self-care.¹⁷ A strong sense of community and purpose is almost always part of the prescription for promoting greater well-being.²

The importance of this issue is also trickling down from policymakers into hospitals and community health centers. Consider an initiative at Minneapolis’s Hennepin County Medical Center. Leaders there created a “reset room” for physicians to quietly decompress. The room is complete with LED lights, flameless candles, a sound machine, comfortable chairs, several plants, and an “in use” sign on the door.¹⁸ Other personal strategies to help prevent burnout include making environmental changes, encouraging hobbies, and streamlining burdensome tasks such as paperwork and electronic medical record systems.

As physician health and well-being are finally emerging as a “hot topic,”² educational and treatment resources are increasingly available for any of us to explore. Consider a simple Google search to look into your State’s PHPs, and get involved in your professional societies to make change.

The culture is starting to shift, and leading by example will be a key to propelling further progress in this area. Model our own self-care for colleagues and patients alike. As Mark Twain said, we might love our work, but we must remember that being solely defined by work comes to the detriment of our health. Maintaining balance is what will allow us to sustain long careers ahead doing what we love.

Physician impairment: A need for prevention

References

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