Medical Group Offers Steps to Address Physician Burnout
Framework and Principles on Well-Being Aim to Benefit Patients and Strengthen Health Care Systems
Physician burnout continues to be a pervasive issue, with more than 50 percent of doctors reporting problems such as dissatisfaction, high rates of depression, and increased suicide risk. To address it, the Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine—a group of medical educators, academic leaders, and wellness research experts from across the country co-chaired by Jonathan Ripp, MD, MPH, Senior Associate Dean for Well-Being and Resilience at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai—has presented a framework for individuals, organizations, and health systems.
“The Charter on Physician Well-Being,” published online in JAMA on Thursday, March 29, at 11:00 am EDT and supported by the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges, is a model for health care organizations to develop regulations and policies that align with best practices for promoting physician well-being; identify strategic priorities and interventions that maximize meaningful engagement and job satisfaction; build partnerships with local and national groups that support advocacy efforts and collaborative solutions; and guide individual physicians in their own practices in service of both patient needs and individual fulfillment.
“Each day our physicians and clinicians care for patients and families in need in a constantly changing health care system,” said Dr. Ripp. “They are driven in this pursuit, often putting the patient first, but in some cases they suffer burnout and depression from overwhelming demands. The providers themselves also need to be supported in their mission with adequate resources and effective tools to promote well-being—ultimately, they and the patient will benefit.”
“The strength of a health care system is reliant on the health and well-being of our clinicians, faculty, and students,” said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, President for Academic Affairs at Mount Sinai Health System, and a renowned expert on the psychobiological mechanisms of human resilience to stress. “This is an important priority for Mount Sinai and many institutions across the country. This Charter provides a blueprint for addressing burnout and developing programs that optimize physical health and well-being.”
Charter co-authors are Colin P. West, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic, and Larissa Thomas, MD, MPH, of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. The authors represent a larger consortium, the Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine (CHARM), which includes members from a broad range of medical organizations. The charter project was supported by a Mapping the Landscape, Journeying Together grant from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Joseph D Buxbaum PhD Elected to National Academy of Medicine
Oct 19, 2015 View All Press Releases