Page 10 - Delaware Medical Journal - August, 2016

PRESIDENT’S PAGE
We are conditioned to work long hours and to continue to do so even after we are exhausted – the survivor mentality.2
isolation with less peer-to-peer contact and you have the perfect storm, a recipe for disaster – physician burnout. The cause is multifactorial and will require intervention on many levels.5
So what do we do about it? First, we need to recognize the signs and symptoms like any good doctor would to diagnose the condition. Second, we need to come up with the “cure” – strategies to combat the condition. The AMA Wire® “Burnout Busters: How to Boost Satisfaction”6 suggests that we take responsibility
for our self-care and our happiness. It suggests pursuing a hobby, watching
our diet, getting adequate exercise,
as well as doing something outside of medicine at least once a week that makes you happy. Establish an environment of wellness by addressing burnout through discussions with colleagues. Look at how modifying your work situation may help by decreasing administrative burdens; decreasing chaos and time pressures;
and increasing control over your work

will help.5 According to Dr. Drummond,7

you can decide what you really want – a
conscious choice to change and reawaken your dreams. He further describes the 3R’s: Resist, Restore, and Reduce Exposure. Resist the forces of burnout on the job using mindfulness to be present in the moment and to be aware of the stressors when they occur. Restore your energy
and sense of balance with things outside of work that promote happiness and well-being and also create boundaries between work life and the rest. Reduce your exposure and lower stress in your workplace by changing the way you work, considering part-time work, or in extreme cases, changing careers. Also consider checking out the AMA Steps Forward8 program for additional ideas.
So why have I been discussing this
over the last two months? First, it is a growing problem for us all. We are seeing the effects of burnout in our physician communities. Many of our organizations are concerned about it – the AMA, our specialty organizations and professional societies, even your Medical Society, MSD. MSD has been approached by individual physicians from our membership and some of our hospital staff physicians who have a concern about this emerging problem. With
the Bradley laws, our Physician Health Committee was statutorily disbanded. We have been approached by the Delaware Healthcare Association which represents the hospital CEOs as they are seeing physician burnout in their institutions. We are planning to gather a group of interested physicians together to address the topic in our individual hospitals and for our physician community to assess the problem and look for ways we can remediate it. We will be introducing our new website which will enable online blogs and chats, and have considered the formation of support groups, peer-to- peer discussions, and online education among other ideas. Our goal is to help our physicians however we can. Look for features like “Time to Recharge” in the MSD newsletter, e-news and Views and watch for more information in our other communications. Also, let us hear from you. Your input is vital.
Dorothy M. Moore, M.D.
President, Medical Society of Delaware
REFERENCES
1. Dyrbye, LN. Physician burnout: a potential threat to successful health
care reform. JAMA. 2011;305:209-210.
2. Parks T. A double-edged sword: what makes doctors great also drives burnout. AMA Wire. June 21, 2016. Available at: www.ama-assn.org/ ama/ama-wire/post/double-edged-sword-doctors-great-also-drives- burnout.
3. Drummond D. The Happy MD. Physician burnout: why it’s not a fair fight. Available at: www.thehappymd.com/blog/bid/295048/ Physician-Burnout-Why-its-not-a-Fair-Fight.
4. Mind Garden. Maslach Burnout Inventory. Available at www.mindgarden.com/117-maslach-burnout-inventory.
personal accomplishment in physician burnout. 2016. Available at: www.ama-assn.org/ama/ama-
5. Henry TA. The role of
AMA Wire. March 29, wire/post/role-of-personal-accomplishment-physician-burnout.
6. Vassar L. Burnout busters: how to boost satisfaction in personal life. AMA Wire. June 5, 2016. Available at: www.ama-assn.org/ama/ama- wire/post/burnout-busters-boost-satisfaction-personal-life-practice.
7. Drummond D. The Happy MD. Physician burnout – the three symptoms, three phases and three cures. Available at: www.thehappymd.com/blog/ bid/290755/Physician-Burnout-the-Three-Symptoms-Three-Phases-and- Three-Cures.
8. AMA STEPSforward. Available at: www.stepsforward.org.
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