Top 10 Ways the Integrated Care Psychologist Can Combat Provider Burnout
Physician burnout is a hot topic, increasingly recognized as affecting the quality of care, mental health of providers and patient safety and satisfaction. As team members, integrated care psychologists have unique expertise in recognizing burnout and providing support for all members of the team. Here are my top 10 ways integrated care psychologists can help fight provider burnout.
Keep an open door. Be available to listen and support as a member of the team.
Know your resources. Have resources ready such as employee assistance program information, referral information, and crisis management.
Model good stress management. Take your lunch break, walking break, and vacations. Work reasonable hours and talk about how you manage your stress.
Create a positive environment. Give positive feedback to colleagues and recognize their contribution publicly with others. Thank others on your team regularly for their work.
Offer psychological expertise. Know the research on provider burnout and be available to discuss at meetings, grand rounds, or other events.
Set boundaries. When support turns into the need for a professional relationship, provide referrals and discuss limits of relationships as team members.
Recognize burnout and reach out. When you see signs of burnout, check it out and be ready to offer support and resources.
Engage and encourage connection. Go to lunch or after work social opportunities with your team members. Know about your team member’s families and interests. Providers who feel connected to each other work better as a team and develop immunity to burnout.
Show you care and understand. You may not always have the power to change the organizational culture, but just confirming you see what is happening can help provide relief.
Consider intervention skills. Psychologists are the experts in stress management. If your team is open to using your skills, offer to provide training in your area of expertise. You may be able to help the team with relaxation training, sleep hygiene, and communication skills.
Resources:
Give Me a Break. APA Monitor January 2019
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/01/break.aspx
Running Start to a Great Career: Taking Care of Yourself December 2018
https://www.apaservices.org/practice/business/ecp-column/taking-care-yourself.html?_ga=2.264200652.1328838704.1546459401-2059430002.1541615209
Association Between Physician Burnout and Patient Safety,
Professionalism, and Patient Satisfaction
A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Maria Panagioti, PhD; Keith Geraghty, PhD; Judith Johnson, PhD; Anli Zhou, MD; Efharis Panagopoulou, PhD;
Carolyn Chew-Graham, MD; David Peters, MD; Alexander Hodkinson, PhD;
Ruth Riley, PhD; Aneez Esmail, MD, PhD
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2698144?guestAccessKey=286630ed-c792-49e4-9a35-122d070070bd&utm_source=silverchair&utm_campaign=altmetric&utm_content=2018_year-end&cmp=1&utm_medium=email
