One of the most effective ways to reduce physician burnout and promote physician well-being is to build a resilient health system, according to a Jan. 30 report from the American Medical Association.
The AMA spoke with Amanjot Sethi, MD, about physician burnout on the "AMA Steps Forward" podcast. Dr. Sethi is the director of wellness operations at the Permanente Medical Group.
Here are three key ways Dr. Sethi shared to promote health system resiliency:
1. Use feedback to guide change. Use surveys to gauge how physicians and employees are feeling professionally. Track physicians' fulfillment and burnout levels. Use the data to stage interventions and create change.
2. Have critical conversations. Department chiefs should have critical conversations with physicians, discussing psychological safety and burnout levels.
3. Track progress and outcomes. Identify tasks that are causing burnout among physicians, like clerical burdens, and create interventions. Track survey data to see progress in how outcomes are improving.