#physicianburnout is an actual hashtag that doctors are using, and some physicians are calling for a movement to make sure that burnout prevention is discussed in every meeting. But are you aware that physician burnout isn’t just some faraway concept that affects someone’s brother’s cousin’s wife? In fact, it’s a little closer than you might think, and it influences more than just the physicians.
“The U.K. researchers found that burned out physicians are twice as likely to provide unsafe care and have unprofessional behavior. They’re three times more likely to receive low patient satisfaction ratings…” (Healthcare Dive)
We didn’t need an analysis to tell us that, right? It’s a serious problem, and it’s seriously influencing the way patients get care.
But is it true what they say? That #directcare doctors provide better quality outcomes?
Well considering that a Medscape study found that “nearly two-thirds of U.S. doctors were burned out, depressed, or both” due to “EHRs and long work days…that raise their stress levels,” it makes sense that #DPC doctors are more well qualified to provide healthier care to their patients in a healthier way.
Why? Because DPC physicians don’t have the same bureaucracy, buttons to click, or boxes to check. Small, private practices have reported less instances of burnout. “Only about 13.5% of physicians in such primary care practices in New York City reported burnout, compared to the national average of 54.4%” (Healthcare Dive reported from The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine).
So the next time you’re feeling a little overextended at work, remember that you have full control of your patient scheduling, the number of patients you see, and just how deeply you let burnout creep into your practice.