Physician Burnout and the Dangers of Venting

When I deliver the Burnout Proof LIVE Workshop we always have a little discussion about VENTING. Most of the conversation revolves around if venting is healthy or not. About half of any audience will answer "Yes" to that question. I beg to differ.

Venting is very common in some workplaces, but that does not make it healthy or normal. In fact venting can be downright dangerous because it has the power to shackle you to the throne of Einstein's Insanity Trap.

Watch this three minute video to learn more.

Prevent Physician Burnout - curated resource libraries now available.

When you are aware that physician burnout is not a problem and understand its true nature as a never ending balancing act, it will become obvious you will never find a solution - the key is to focus on building your strategy to maintain balance.

We teach 117 ways to prevent burnout. Each has been proven in the real world by hundreds of physicians in all specialties AND that is a LOT of options to wade through. 

We are excited to share our new curated resource libraries so you can cut to the chase and find the best burnout prevention tools quickly and easily.

Use the links below to dive into our curated collections of tools to Get Home Sooner, Build Life Balance and become a More Effective Leader.

Each of the tools on this page will make sure you actually get home sooner. The library includes our EMR strategy recommendations, BID Huddle power tips, Batch Processing formula, the antidote to Multitasking and much more. All just a click away.

A new Family Practice study is showing only 25% prevalence of physician burnout. Does this much lower number create ...

• a controversy

• a "winner" in the "we're less burned out than you" derby

• or just another data point

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There is a new -- and uniquely structured -- study in the Family Practice literature out this month showing a physician burnout prevalence rate of only 25% that is shaking up the widely accepted notion that over half of US doctors are most likely suffering from burnout.  (BTW, the background rate of burnout in the general population of non-physician professionals is widely quoted as being the same 25%)

Let me show you the three absolutely unique features of this research project which render it one-of-a-kind in the universe of physician burnout prevalence studies.  

This new study may be the first step in solving a mystery that has existed since the very first prevalence study was handed out over forty years ago.  I will show you this below as well. 

Physician Burnout PodCast - The Invisible Destroyer of Value and Quality 

Here is a podcast on a show called Relentless Healthcare Value hosted by Stacey Richter.

She asked some great questions and we went deep and wide into the Creative Destruction of Physician Burnout ... including both Canary and Coal Mine strategies for burnout prevention. Check it out.

USE THIS LINK to listen to the show ... it's a good one.

If there is a culture that eats physician burnout for breakfast, where do you find that restaurant and who is your server?

There IS a culture capable of eating burnout for breakfast.

A healthy workplace culture is more than a Unicorn - something you have heard of but never actually seen. Even in high stress, difficult situations, that culture will keep you connected, supporting and caring for each other. 

Unfortunately, the typical hostile, overloaded, Triple Aim whirlwind of a workplace culture in a healthcare organization will EAT YOU and your people for breakfast instead.

Physician Burnout - The Fatal Flaws in the Burnout Survey Industry

The measurement of physician burnout is turning into a big business in the USA lately. Millions of dollars are changing hands for burnout, engagement and physician satisfaction surveys created and sold by some of the biggest medical groups and consulting organizations in the healthcare industry. Mayo, the Advisory Board, the MGMA come to mind immediately.

In this article let me show you the massive flaws in the physician burnout survey industry - unproven theories, conflicts of interest, outright lies and more.

NOTE:
The Future of Physician Burnout Screening is a Big Deal

At the MACRO Level:
Look a short way into the future and you can see how physician burnout scores are very likely to become a quality indicator and a hurdle the government and insurance companies could require for payment. That is a healthy move if you think about it. What payor would NOT want a healthy population of doctors providing care to their members? 

Physician Burnout - Stop Asking the Wrong Question

In this post you will learn a fundamental mistake all doctors (and physician leaders) make about burnout -- and how changing the questions you ask will make all the difference.

[HINT: Physician burnout is not a problem. When you stop looking for a solution you will see the simplicity of a burnout prevention plan that really works - for you, for your family and for your organization]

I am often asked,
"What is the SOLUTION to Physician Burnout?"

Physician Burnout VUCA and the Trump Effect

HINT: none of this is good for physician well being 

One of the core factors driving physician stress levels and physician burnout in the USA is the CHAOS in the healthcare marketplace.

What used to be a simple world of seeing patients and billing insurance has morphed into EMR's, Meaningful Use, Volume to Value, MACRA, the Affordable Care Act and a blizzard of mergers and acquisitions that have turned even the average 50 bed hospital into a major physician employer. Independence and autonomy are out the window and who knows what Big Brother will demand of us next.

This chaos is stressful and adds to the risk of physician burnout

It is hard to feel certain about the future when your crystal ball has gone dark. It is hard to feel confident about your practice and your career when you are getting a paycheck from the third different organization in the last 6 years -- as the big fish gobble the little fish in many market places.

A very similar perfect storm of accelerated change happened in the US military in the 1990's when guerrilla tactics and crazy things like IED's and body bombs displaced orderly tank battles on the modern battlefield. After all, how do you feel confident as a commander in the field when you never know what is coming around the next corner. 

Physician Burnout – British NHS Announces World’s First Government "Burnout Service"

The British National Health Service (NHS) has been having a very rough time lately. Despite always being mentioned as one of the top healthcare systems for cost effectiveness, they are fighting a running battle with rampant physician burnout and a near mutiny by providers. Here are just a few of the low points.

• Burnout rates are sky high
• The providers will strike the government every month for the rest of this year over an attempt to force a standard 7-day work week
• There is even an effort to get doctors to turn in their colleagues for burnout

Now the government is attempting a turnaround

Last week the NHS announced that beginning in 2017 it will spend £19.5 million ($24M USD) in 2017 to treat burnout in General Practitioners (GP’s) nationwide.

The NHS announcement said:

“The service is the world’s first nationally-funded health service of its kind for general practice, a clear signal of NHS England’s commitment to help retain a healthy and resilient workforce and in supporting GPs and GP trainees who wish to remain in or return to clinical practice after a period of ill health.”

The service is described as follows:

Physician Burnout Cartoon - and a good one

You don't see many cartoons that capture the essence of burnout ... at least not ones that are funny at the same time. Check this one out ... and feel free to share.  

Here is the cartoonist's website ... great stuff. http://robrogers.com/tag/second-opinion/