Meditation May Help Prevent Physician Burnout

Dr. Fortney agrees. “Challenges include adding yet another thing to a physician’s endless and growing list of things to do,” he says. Dr. Fortney also emphasizes that meditation may not be for everyone, but other ways may provide similar benefits.

“Whether a person meditates every day or goes for a walk through the woods would be an individual choice, but in general, time is a major factor,” he says.

Dr. Kaushik puts it differently. “Meditation is a dire necessity,” he says. “It is the only way to change the software of the mind so that we can absolutely alleviate physician burnout.”

Mary Beth Nierengarten is a freelance medical journalist based in St. Paul, Minn.

References

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3. Fortney L, Luchterhand C, Zakletskaia L, et al. Abbreviated mindfulness intervention for job satisfaction, quality of life, and compassion in primary care clinicians: A pilot study. Annals of Family Medicine. 2013;11(5):412–420.
4. Luchterhand C, Rakel D, Haq C, et al. Creating a culture of mindfulness in medicine. WMJ. 2015;114(3):105–109. .
5. Krasner MS, Epstein RM, Beckman H, et al. Association of an educational program in mindful communication with burnout, empathy, and attitudes among primary care physicians. JAMA. 2009 Sep 23;302(12):1284–1293.