The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Recognizing Physician Burnout, & Tips to Fight It

Recognizing Physician Burnout, & Tips to Fight It

February 17, 2018 • By Philip Seo, MD, MHS

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Changes in healthcare delivery seem to be driving the increased prevalence of burnout among healthcare providers. The American Medical Association has identified multiple potential drivers of burnout, including loss of control of work, increased performance measurement, the increasing complexity of medical care, implementation of electronic record and profound inefficiencies in the practice environment.11 A recent commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine notes, “Increasing clerical burden is one of the biggest drivers of burnout in medicine. … Little of this work is currently reimbursed. Instead, it is done in the interstices of life, during time often referred to as ‘work after work’—at night, on weekends, even on vacation.”12

You Might Also Like
  • ACR Town Hall Offers Research, Tips on Physician Burnout
  • EHRs Play a Role in Physician Burnout
  • Hours Spent Record Keeping May Fuel Physician Burnout
Explore This Issue
February 2018
Also By This Author
  • Have We Reached the Limits of Clinical Classification?

All of these factors impact workflow and care provider–patient interactions. Being a physician has always been stressful; burnout has become an issue because we now find ourselves busy doing the wrong type of work for our patients, work that does not improve our patients’ lives. Burnout seems to be the inevitable result of good physicians who are trapped in a bad system and try to serve as a bulwark between what our patients need and what our care delivery system allows us to provide.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Dr. Seo

Physician burnout is becoming increasingly prevalent. Only by examining these issues openly & honestly can we hope to stem the tide.

The Way Forward

The fault, as Shakespeare wrote, lies not in the stars, but in ourselves.13 Perhaps it should not be surprising that the same personality traits that led us to medicine and professional success are the fundamental cause of our tendency to burn out. To address these faults, several approaches have been used, including the following:

  • Mindfulness refers to focusing on the present, through meditation and other techniques, and letting go of past burdens or future worries. The technique has been used successfully to treat anxiety, depression and pain. The concept dates back to the 1970s, but its cultural currency is exploding, culminating in A Mindful Nation, a book written by Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio, regarding the impact of mindfulness on his district and his own life.14
  • Resilience refers to the ability to approach stress with optimism and with humor. The term was originally developed by psychologists to describe children who managed to thrive in the face of adversity. The modern concept implies that resilience may not just be an inborn trait; it can be taught. Resilience among physicians is associated with a number of practices, including taking time for leisure activities, cultivation of relationships with colleagues and friends, limiting work hours and acknowledging medical uncertainty and medical errors when they arise.15
  • Self-compassion may be the most difficult of the three to practice, because it involves learning to forgive one’s own imperfections. This can be a particularly tall order, because medicine tends to attract people who are inclined toward competitive perfectionism. Several academic centers have pioneered the use of cognitively based compassion training, which trains clinicians to celebrate successes, rather than obsess over failures.16

Starting by focusing on the individual physician is particularly important because burnout may be contagious. Just as a rising tide lifts all boats, a burned-out physician’s attitudes and beliefs may spread throughout an organization. Thus, treating an individual may prevent an epidemic.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | Single Page

Filed Under: Opinion, Professional Topics, Rheuminations Tagged With: physician burnoutIssue: February 2018

You Might Also Like:
  • ACR Town Hall Offers Research, Tips on Physician Burnout
  • EHRs Play a Role in Physician Burnout
  • Hours Spent Record Keeping May Fuel Physician Burnout
  • Meditation May Help Prevent Physician Burnout

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)