A relatively simple solution to physician burnout

Physician burnout is increasing at an alarming rate. According to a January 2017 AMA Wire report, physician burnout rate has increased from 2013 to 2017 across every specialty in medicine. Greater than 50 percent of primary care providers are burned out. Therefore, every patient at the entry point of medical care is, more likely than not, going to be treated by a burned out physician. The question is why are we so burned out. Self-determination theory (SDT) offers a plausible answer. According to SDT, we all proactively seek to gain mastery over internal and external forces in our lives in order establish our own well-being. Toward this end, we have three basic psychological needs: competency, relatedness, and autonomy. Competency refers to our desire to be good at something, which positively impacts our world. Relatedness occurs when we feel connected within a community of caring people. Autonomy is our craving for freedom to act according to our own values. When these needs are met within our social environment, we are capable of intrinsic motivation and healthy integration of regulations, which establish a framework for good mental health and well-being. We physicians begin our training with a dream, an intrinsically motivated goal to live sacrificially in order to cause a positive impact in the lives of others. As we strive to competently provide better healthcare for society, we in healthcare sense a relatedness to each other and to our patients. Prior to the era of mode...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Health IT Primary Care Public Health & Policy Source Type: blogs