"Doctors In Distress" - Sarah Mahoney
It’s no secret that physicians are hurting: 54 percent of doctors report symptoms of burnout; 39 percent are depressed; and as many as 400 commit suicide every year, a rate that is twice as high as other professionals. “We are at an inflection point,” said Jonathan Ripp, MD, recently tapped for the chief wellness officer role at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “We know we need to tackle the root causes” of physician stress and burnout. That includes exploring those elements of distress that most contribute to burnout, such as poor work-life integration, inefficient use of or lack of resources, and fatigue, all of which lead to an erosion of meaning from work. And it means shifting the burden of responsibility to enact change away from overburdened providers. “While there are certainly ways physicians can build resiliency, the responsibility to fix larger problems can’t be on them,” Dr. Ripp adds. “We are beginning to see new ways in which practices can better support doctors so that they can come to work ready to do their jobs.” Dr. Ripp says it’s also essential to encourage doctors to do the work they find most meaningful, whether that’s academic research, more time with patients, or mentoring.
- Jonathan A. Ripp, MD, Senior Associate Dean, Well-Being and Resilience, Chief Wellness Officer, Associate Dean, Trainee Well-Being in Graduate Medical Education, Associate Professor, Medicine, General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai