Physician Burnout Quality of Life/ Wellness Resource Pilot Program

Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of low personal accomplishment that leadsto decreased effectiveness at work [1]. Despite the efforts to combat burnout, the number of U.S. physicians who experienceburnout rose from 45 percent to over 50 percent between 2011 and 2014.The purpose of this quality improvement evidence-based capstone project was to determine whether a physician wellness pilotprogram could reduce and or eliminate burnout and stress for practicing physicians at an acute care healthcare institutionin the Chicago metropolitan area. The capstone project consisted of a pre-intervention survey, an intervention and a postintervention survey. The participants targeted for this evidence-based project were practicing physicians in Illinois that spanacross all specialty groups.The physician burnout wellness pilot program was implemented during a two-week period of time during which participantswere provided with resources to reduce and or eliminate symptoms of burnout. The implementation of the physician wellnesspilot program capstone project showed the physicians at this organization were less stressed and more satisfied with their jobat (0.555) percent compared to pre intervention survey results that faired (0.77) and that of the national average of (0.80).Additionally, the post intervention survey results showed the physicians at this organization are experiencing a lower level ofburnout (0.44) percent compared to pre intervention survey results that faired (0.53), but a higher level of burnout comparedto the national average (0.29).Physician burnout is an epidemic that requires immediate attention because it not only effects the physicians, but it effects thehealthcare system. As such, regardless of the specialty and demographics of the physicians, organizations and physicians alikemust do their part in assessing if burnout exists. The findings showed the importance of physicians being able to recognizethe warning signs of burnout, encourage them to seek help when they are stressed, and take active steps towards ridding orreducing burnout. The findings were compatible with evidence-based research that supports building physician resilience byway of the development of a wellness program.There is an alarmingly high prevalence of burnout amongst the working class in the United States. Strikingly it is even greaterfor physicians, particularly the front-line practitioner’s family medicine, general internal medicine and emergency medicine[2]. However, in recent years, the effect of burnout became even more evident when the increasing demand for doctors, coupledwith the rising rates of physician burnout, threatened many organizations abilities to consistently deliver quality care andmaintain a healthy physician workforce [3]. Consequently, burnout started to negatively impact health outcomes for bothphysicians and the patients they serve. Since burnout affects doctors in both individual practices and hospitals across thecounty, it is now viewed as a nationwide problem [4].According to West, Dyrbye, Liselotte & Shanafelt, rates of burnout symptoms associated with adverse effects on patients,the healthcare workforce, costs, and physician health exceed 50% in studies of both physicians-in-training and practicingphysicians [5]. A survey presented by Medscape Physician Lifestyle in 2015 reported that the rate of burnout has increasedby 46 percent, which is double the rate of burnout in 2013 [6]. This data shows that the physician burnout rate is on the riseand has increased significantly with every passing year [6].