Organizational Commitments - Build Supportive Systems
"Optimal systems support for well-being includes providing adequate practice resources to manage the pace and volume of work and designing spaces that streamline work and communication, such as by co-locating teams. Practice leaders and organizations could use quality improvement strategies to improve technology and the physical environment and reduce administrative burden. For example, automated prescription lines, having medical assistants enter patient data into electronic health records, and more efficient patient flow through the clinic have each demonstrated benefits to physician burnout and satisfaction.
Decreased time spent on administrative work and documentation may enhance meaning and the patient experience by increasing the time physicians can dedicate to direct patient care. Organizational processes that ensure adequate rest and a manageable workload include coverage systems for physicians when they are ill, adequate staffing, provisions for family leave, flexibility for time off to address non-work interests and obligations, and integration of administrative time within the clinical schedule."
from the Charter on Physician Well-Being, JAMA. 2018;319(15):1541-1542. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.1331
Decreased time spent on administrative work and documentation may enhance meaning and the patient experience by increasing the time physicians can dedicate to direct patient care. Organizational processes that ensure adequate rest and a manageable workload include coverage systems for physicians when they are ill, adequate staffing, provisions for family leave, flexibility for time off to address non-work interests and obligations, and integration of administrative time within the clinical schedule."
from the Charter on Physician Well-Being, JAMA. 2018;319(15):1541-1542. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.1331
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Research, Articles & Ideas
Organizational Elements that Drive Engagement or Burnout
If you don't understand the general elements that produce greater engagement or drive burnout, then you might as well hang a dartboard up to help you make choices. This short CME module from AMA's StepsForward will provide an overview into the literature on workplace drivers.
Redesigning Facility to Support TeamworkWe shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us." - Winston Churchhill The way you interact with patients and colleagues can be subtly influenced by the design of your workspace. And even if you didn't get to design it from the ground up, there are subtle ways you can change things to make a difference.
Simpler Logins and Voice RecognitionYale Medicine implemented tools to make it much easier for a physician to login into their workstation and HIPAA compliant Electronic Health Record. It allows physicians to logon with their password traditionally at the beginning of the day, but then as the system automatically locks them out after a period of inactivity, to wave their employee badge to log them back in using RFID technology. Most hospitals already use this for timecards, it should be easy enough to add next to every physician laptop.
Simpler Logins, Voice Recognition Ease Click Fatigue Save 1 Million Clicks a Day based on Dr. Paul DeChant's recommendations Atrius Health will save their doctors about 50 million clicks in a year. Shared Medical AppointmentsIf you provide much of the same content and advice to multiple patients suffering from chronic diseases or ailments, your practice might lend itself to Shared Medical Appointments. A typical medical appointment might last 15 to 20 minutes and involve one patient and one doctor. Shared medical appointments turn it the other way around, often last around 90 minutes, and it’s not uncommon for 10 patients to see the doctor during that same appointment. These appointments are billable as individual appointment under Medicaid and other payers. Take a look at some of these resources if you're interested.
Utilizing a Medical ScribeIf patient documentation is a bane of your existence, slows you down, and interferes with your relationship with patients, it might be time to seriously consider a medical scribe. You might think the cost of a scribe is too much for you, but several studies show that not only do scribes help save money over the long-term, but also reduce physician burnout. If having a third person in the room with you and your patient seems obtrusive, some have found a live feed to their scribe in another room to be an effective solution.
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SW Idaho Resources
The Truth About Burnout
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