Physician Burnout and Barriers to Care on Professional Applications.

We surveyed New York physicians to study their perceptions of reporting requirements related to their own mental health care on professional applications, including whether they were experiencing symptoms of burnout. Over half of the responding physicians reported experiencing symptoms of burnout and these physicians were at increased odds of perceiving a barrier to seeking mental health care if they had to report such care on professional applications and renewals for medical licensure, malpractice, and hospital privileges and credentialing compared to physicians not experiencing symptoms of burnout. As state medical boards, hospitals, and insurers seek information to help assess risks posed by physicians, it is essential to strike an appropriate balance between their duty to protect the public and the physician's right to confidentiality. This balance can be assessed based on the questions that are asked on various professional applications and how information gleaned through physician responses is used. Overly intrusive questions, though well intentioned to protect the public, may run counter to current interpretations of federal law and may inhibit care-seeking among physicians, which is critical to both patient safety and physician health.

Adopting the Quadruple Aim: The University of Rochester Medical Center Experience: Moving from Physician Burnout to Physician Resilience.

BACKGROUND: The high rates of burnout among medical professionals in the United States are well documented. The reasons for burnout and the factors that contribute to physician resilience among health care providers in academic centers, however, are less well studied. METHODS: Health care providers at a large academic center were surveyed to measure their degree of burnout and callousness and identify associated factors. Additional questions evaluated features linked to resilience. The survey assessed demographic variables, work characteristics, qualifications, experience, and citizenship. RESULTS: A total of 528 surveys were sent out; 469 providers responded, and 444 (84%) completed the survey. High burnout was reported by 214 providers (45.6%), and callousness was noted among 163 (34.8%). Rates of burnout and callousness were higher among advanced practice providers than physicians. Lack of support, lack of respect, and problems with work-life balance were themes significantly associated with a risk for burnout. Rates of burnout (P < .05) and callousness (P < .001) were also significantly higher among those who spent more than 80% of their time in patient care. Participation in patient care was the most sustaining factor, followed by teamwork, scholarly activities, autonomy, and medicine as a calling. CONCLUSIONS: Academic physicians enjoy patient care and value scholarly activities, but lack of support, lack of respect, workload, and problems with work-life balance prevent them from finding a sense of meaning in their professional work. Changes at the organizational level are needed to overcome these impediments and recreate joy in the practice of medicine.

Well-Being in Graduate Medical Education: A Call for Action.

Job burnout is highly prevalent in graduate medical trainees. Numerous demands and stressors drive the development of burnout in this population, leading to significant and potentially tragic consequences, not only for trainees but also for the patients and communities they serve. The literature on interventions to reduce resident burnout is limited but suggests that both individual- and system-level approaches are effective. Work hours limitations and mindfulness training are each likely to have modest benefit. Despite concerns that physician trainee wellness programs might be costly, attention to physician wellness may lead to important benefits such as greater patient satisfaction, long-term physician satisfaction, and increased physician productivity. A collaborative of medical educators, academic leaders, and researchers recently formed with the goal of improving trainee well-being and mitigating burnout. Its first task is outlining this framework of initial recommendations in a call to action. These recommendations are made at the national, hospital, program, and nonwork levels and are meant to inform stakeholders who have taken up the charge to address trainee well-being. Regulatory bodies and health care systems need to be accountable for the well-being of trainees under their supervision and drive an enforceable mandate to programs under their charge. Programs and individuals should develop and engage in a "menu" of wellness options to reach a variety of learners and standardize the effort to ameliorate burnout. The impact of these multilevel changes will promote a culture where trainees can learn in settings that will sustain them over the course of their careers.

Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder in a clinical office setting.

OBJECTIVE: To determine predictors of response to light therapy (LT) for seasonal affective disorder, winter version, in a clinical office setting for patients with a spectrum of seasonality defined by the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). METHOD: A retrospective review was done of charts of 51 patients who had been treated with a 1-week light therapy intervention. Patient self-rated scales applied in a standard manner were used to measure clinical progress. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) with added atypical features was used as the primary outcome variable. Sleep patterns were analyzed and the effect of psychotropic medications on outcome was determined. Seven point scales were used to assess expected response and global response. The importance of having LT set up and available in an office setting was evaluated. Retrospective degree of disability was measured based on the SPAQ degree of problem. The severity of the depressive episode was determined based on BDI score at entry. RESULTS: Seasonality (how a patient's symptoms vary as a function of the season of the year), degree of disability based on the SPAQ, and severity of depressive episode at entry based on the BDI predicted response to LT. Greater severity at baseline based on BDI score predicted less chance of attaining full remission within 7 days of treatment compared with patients with lower severity scores at entry on the BDI. Sleep patterns relative to a fixed treatment time of 7 AM did not predict LT response. Light therapy was effective on its own, and the results were mixed as to whether adding LT to an existing antidepressant medication produced superior results. CONCLUSION: Degree of seasonality can be used as a predictor of response to LT and may be clinically useful when suggesting that patients consider a trial of LT.

Treating depression: psychiatric consultation in cardiology.

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in coronary artery disease, and it can worsen cardiac outcomes. Also, cardiac disease predisposes patients to the development of depression. Assessment of depression is an important part of ongoing patient contacts. It can be easily done through the regular use of a self-report screening tool and the clinical interview. Treatment can consist of antidepressant use, psychotherapy and mindfulness-based group therapy. The antidepressants known as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can generally be used safely in cardiac patients. They are a mainstay in the treatment of moderate to severe depression. Individual cognitive-behavioral therapy can treat milder forms of depression and can augment antidepressant use in more severe cases. Mindfulness-based group therapy can provide patients with additional means of handling distress while offering social contact and support, both of which are important in the treatment of depression. The use of consulting psychiatric services offers the cardiologist a collaborative team approach when treating patients with depressive illnesses.