Physician Burnout Quality of Life/Wellness Resource Pilot Program

Abstract

Felicia Harvey

Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of low personal accomplishment that leads to decreased effectiveness at work [1]. Despite the efforts to combat burnout, the number of U.S. physicians who experience burnout rose from 45 percent to over 50 percent between 2011 and 2014. The purpose of this quality improvement evidence-based capstone project was to determine whether a physician wellness pilot program could reduce and or eliminate burnout and stress for practicing physicians at an acute care healthcare institution in the Chicago metropolitan area. The capstone project consisted of a pre-intervention survey, an intervention and a post intervention survey. The participants targeted for this evidence-based project were practicing physicians in Illinois that span across all specialty groups. The physician burnout wellness pilot program was implemented during a two-week period of time during which participants were provided with resources to reduce and or eliminate symptoms of burnout. The implementation of the physician wellness pilot program capstone project showed the physicians at this organization were less stressed and more satisfied with their job at (0.555) percent compared to pre intervention survey results that faired (0.77) and that of the national average of (0.80). Additionally, the post intervention survey results showed the physicians at this organization are experiencing a lower level of burnout (0.44) percent compared to pre intervention survey results that faired (0.53), but a higher level of burnout compared to the national average (0.29). Physician burnout is an epidemic that requires immediate attention because it not only effects the physicians, but it effects the healthcare system. As such, regardless of the specialty and demographics of the physicians, organizations and physicians alike must do their part in assessing if burnout exists. The findings showed the importance of physicians being able to recognize the warning signs of burnout, encourage them to seek help when they are stressed, and take active steps towards ridding or reducing burnout. The findings were compatible with evidence-based research that supports building physician resilience by way of the development of a wellness program. There is an alarmingly high prevalence of burnout amongst the working class in the United States. Strikingly it is even greater for physicians, particularly the front-line practitioner’s family medicine, general internal medicine and emergency medicine [2]. However, in recent years, the effect of burnout became even more evident when the increasing demand for doctors, coupled with the rising rates of physician burnout, threatened many organizations abilities to consistently deliver quality care and maintain a healthy physician workforce [3]. Consequently, burnout started to negatively impact health outcomes for both physicians and the patients they serve. Since burnout affects doctors in both individual practices and hospitals across the county, it is now viewed as a nationwide problem [4]. According to West, Dyrbye, Liselotte & Shanafelt, rates of burnout symptoms associated with adverse effects on patients, the healthcare workforce, costs, and physician health exceed 50% in studies of both physicians-in-training and practicing physicians [5]. A survey presented by Medscape Physician Lifestyle in 2015 reported that the rate of burnout has increased by 46 percent, which is double the rate of burnout in 2013 [6]. This data shows that the physician burnout rate is on the rise and has increased significantly with every passing year [6].

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