EB Medicine’s Post

Thank you, Dominic C., for an important article for physicians. Physicians deserve help and, frankly, we need it. Our burnout, mental illness, and suicide rates are completely unacceptable.    There are many barriers to getting help and the common mindsets of doctors are among them. As Dominic pointed out in his article, Dr Tate Shanafelt MD describes the “Physician personality” as conscientious and guilty, with an exaggerated sense of personal responsibility.   If you resonate with the 'Physician personality', you're less likely to get support.   … You're more likely to think *you're* the problem. And you're more likely to think *working harder* will fix it.    If you can see that you might be in this burnout cycle, Physicians Anonymous has made it easy to start getting help - anonymously. You can attend completely free hour-long peer support sessions with your insightful colleagues. I get to co-host one of these meetings every week with the brilliant Sapna Shah-Haque, MD, MBA. You'll find all of the meeting availabilities and even more resources on our Physicians Anonymous website: https://lnkd.in/g3rCJMBz  

Burnout among healthcare professionals is no joke. It impacts quality of care and the quality of life of these dedicated professionals. After all, we chose healthcare because of a driving need to serve the best health of our patients. Sometimes that gets lost in the noise of the system. Lifestyle medicine - implemented well with attention to the patient’s real actual life- changes the focus from healthcare and illness to wellbeing and flourishing. My own well-being and joy in work has changed significantly with this focused attention to sleep, movement, WFPB nourishment, intentional connection with others who are in growth-mode and other daily choices. I love coaching and teaching others these simple on the surface but countercultural strategies in the busyness of life. American College of Lifestyle Medicine resources and trainings are top notch to support this journey! Proud to lead the Pharmacist MIG for this next term with Beth Prier, PharmD, MS, DipACLM and Payton Hanby, PharmD, DipACLM. Check out these important resources!

Skipping primary care appointments may have repercussions related to health care costs and outcomes. A new study from BMC examines why people miss appointments. Learn more.

Skipping primary care appointments may have repercussions related to health care costs and outcomes. A new study from BMC examines why people miss appointments. Learn more.

⁉️ Why don’t physicians seek help? Doctors are the worst patients. Physicians are sick, and it’s getting worse. Yet too few physicians seek help when we are struggling. Record numbers of us are burning out, becoming mentally ill or addicted, retiring early, and leaving medicine. This article explores the barriers to physicians seeking help and looks for potential solutions.

📚 Excited to share our latest research findings on patient experiences following discharge from intensive care! 🔍 In this article, we delve into patient experiences of recovery following discharge from intensive care including what patients thought worked well and what services they felt were missing. This study offers helpful insights into this area and provides practical recommendations for future rehabilitation interventions aligned to patient support needs. 📝 Read the full article below!

DoctorCare shares practical strategies to combat burnout, designed to support healthcare providers in thriving amidst challenges. From workplace adjustments to personal self-care, discover how to elevate your well-being and professional fulfillment.

The state of physician well-being: 4 new findings: Burnout has been a pervasive challenge in healthcare for years, hitting record high levels among physicians in 2021, when nearly 63% reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout. New survey data from the American Medical Association suggests progress is being made, with physician burnout rates falling below 50% for the first time in four years.  http://dlvr.it/T966C3

Sometimes patients reach the wrong health-related decisions even when they're working with the right information. When you layer the sheer volume of mis- and disinformation circulating online nowadays on top of that dynamic, the magnitude of the challenge facing patients and their families starts to take shape. This illustration comes from "EDUCATOR: An Illustrated Case Study," co-authored with the talented Karen Kopacek and brought to life through George Folz's creativity and skills. The conversation depicted between the main characters - a woman with heart failure and her son - takes place the morning after she trips on a loose rug in the middle of the night while walking to the bathroom. While the cause of her frequent nighttime urination is correctly identified, gaps in this patient's knowledge about her condition lead to the unfortunate decision to stop taking a critically important medication. My #IPE colleagues and those working throughout the health professions will not be surprised to learn that this decision results in fluid retention, an exacerbation of the patient's heart failure, and ultimately a hospital admission. Whose responsibility is it to ensure patients and their families are prepared to sift through and process the deluge of online information - some accurate, some not - about their health? From: Kopacek KJ, Porter AL, Dopp JM, Zorek JA. Chapter 5: Cardiology. In: Zorek JA. Interprofessional Practice in Pharmacy: Featuring Illustrated Case Studies. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2021:101-128.

Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) is known to improve patient outcomes in primary care. A recent study has found that BHI can reduce the risk of burnout syndrome (Zubatsky, 2018). In a national survey of healthcare providers, including 288 primary care physicians, factors of burnout and levels of BHI were measured in the medical practice setting. Not surprisingly, higher levels of BHI were significantly associated with higher personal accomplishment and lower depersonalization thus reducing Burnout Syndrome risk. Reach out to get help with BHI and Burnout Syndrome.   Burnout Services, Collaborative Family Healthcare Association #BHI #BurnoutSyndrome https://lnkd.in/eJrWHXcY Zubatsky M, Pettinelli D, Salas J, Davis D. Associations Between Integrated Care Practice and Burnout Factors of Primary Care Physicians. Fam Med. 2018 Nov;50(10):770-774. doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2018.655711. PMID: 30428106.