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Physicians should constantly remind themselves that they are doing what they love—helping people—and that they have a right to feel less worried or burnt out.
According to the findings of a recent Physician Burnout & Depression Report 2023, about 53% of doctors feel burned out, an 11% elevation from the pre-coronavirus disease survey in 2018. Factors might include feeling overworked and undervalued, a lack of autonomy, and excessive government control. Other factors include time spent on electronic health records and excessive bureaucracy.
A doctor can dwell on a conversation they had with a patient or fret about a challenging surgery that didn't go as planned. They manage countless crises, work through lunch, treat patients after hours, and slog through heaps of paperwork and red tape. Clinicians may experience extreme stress due to factors related to practising medicine. When stress becomes problematic, it can cause sleep issues, such as numerous nights of bad sleep or staying up all night worrying about what needs to be accomplished the next day.
Too much anger or tension indicates that stress has taken hold. Many times, doctors may feel tensed and find it difficult to enjoy life. There is a lot of pressure on medical professionals to not just provide treatment but also to constantly be the expert to have all the answers. The top 5 factors that contribute to burnout at work, including toxicity, burden of work, and perceptions of unfairness, have nothing to do with the individual. However, it has to do everything with their place of work.
It's critical for doctors to comprehend the numerous obstacles they face, which make it extremely difficult to avoid burnout. Additionally, the Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality's research has identified that a few things can be done to mitigate some of the stress, including staff surveys, flexible hours, enhanced work-home balance, as well as assistance with electronic health records entry. However, the majority of these changes are at the organisational level and necessitate a top-down strategy.
Overall, 29% of doctors cut back on their work hours, 25% practised meditation, 22% altered their staffing or workflow, and 21% switched careers to lessen stress. The notion that it is the responsibility of doctors only to take care of themselves and have a less stressful workday may actually make doctors feel more stressed. As doctors see patients, handle admin work, and resolve interpersonal conflict, a few simple steps can be adopted on the job to reduce the stress of practising medicine and prevent burnout.
Talk About It
Clinicians who are worried should move towards a more supportive and positive environment. They should open out about their stress, normalize it, and talk about the challenges that 53% of those around them are also going through. They should attend workshops focusing on the science and practice of resilience in order to boost the resilience of healthcare professionals and treat mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.
Manage Time and Energy Differently
People become stuck in a rut or have cultural expectations about how their work should be done and how their hours should be structured. Clinicians can re-evaluate how to use their time in a single workday. Maybe they can arrange the patients differently so that they take different break patterns. Additionally, they can incorporate some restarts, if possible. Taking a five-minute walk outside or leaving the office for a change of environment when they are feeling stressed can be considered.
Practice Gratitude
Research supports the advantages of taking some time each day to reminisce about the good things in life. Studies have demonstrated that it enhances mental well-being, increases stress tolerance, and appears to have special advantages for medical professionals. By keeping the positive aspects of life in mind while experiencing stress, gratitude makes it easier to handle difficult situations.
Flag Your Wins
In medicine, so much time is spent analyzing what went incorrect, what could have gone better, and what has to be fixed. If the victories are not marked, then when something negative occurs again, it appears like everything is negative. Acknowledging the victories will make it easier to remember them later.
Nurture Social Connections
Choosing one or two colleagues to rely on at work is a good idea for doctors. It helps a lot to have at least one other person to talk to privately at the workplace or who can support emotionally not only for burnout, but also for conditions like anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. The probability of experiencing mental health problems as a result of stressful situations or persistent stress decreases if there is someone who is understanding and supportive.
It's not necessary to make drastic adjustments in order to alleviate stress. Change instead begins with a single step. Take a 10-15 minutes lunch break, if it has never been taken before. Setting a 2-hourly phone reminder to take a 5-minute break should be implemented.
Medscape
How Doctors Can Manage Their Daily Work Stress
Rachel Reiff Ellis
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