Physician Well-Being During Sustained Crisis: Defusing Burnout, Building Resilience, Restoring Hope

by Ted Hamilton, Dianne McCallister, Deanna Santana-Cebollero Narrated by Tim Lundeen, Kelley Robbins

Overview

Fatigue, isolation, worry, anxiety, depression, moral distress. These are the symptoms of physician burnout.

The practice of medicine has never been easy. Years of demanding education. Long hours. Weekend call duty. Stress-laden procedures. Burgeoning regulatory requirements. Even a worldwide healthcare crisis. How is a physician to cope? This indispensable anthology of essential essays offers practical solutions.

"Physician Well-Being During Sustained Crisis" features over twenty authors¿including active physician executives, counselors, and healthcare chaplains¿addressing three core concepts related to the well-being of physicians. Section 1 explores the impact of severe and unremitting crisis-related stress on physicians and provides practical strategies and resources to ameliorate stress. Section 2 discusses the influence of organizational culture in sustaining professional wellness with initiatives designed to promote community and collegiality. Section 3 delves into the unique role of spiritual support in defusing burnout and contributing to resilience.

Discover support for clinicians who deal daily with long hours, stressful situations, and lack of opportunity for self-care. Learn from seasoned healthcare professionals working at the front lines as they tell their stories and offer counsel based on real-life experience.

Ted Hamilton, MD, MBA, is chief mission integration officer for AdventHealth, Dianne McCallister, MD, MBA, a board-certified internist and former chief medical officer, is co-founder of the Coalition for Physician Well-Being. DeAnna Santana-Cebollero, PhD, is the director of physician well-being and engagement for AdventHealth.

Editorial Reviews

Doody's Review Service

Reviewer: Belinda Setters, MD, MS (Robley Rex VA Medical Center)
Description: This book addresses physician burnout during times of sustained crisis, e.g., the current COVID-19 pandemic. It addresses the effects of the pandemic stress on providers as well as how to find help during times of escalating stress, how to find renewed inspiration in medicine, and how to keep going by working in teams, finding hope in the system, and support for personal struggles.
Purpose: The purpose is to help practicing clinicians find support and meaning during the COVID pandemic, and to deal with the ongoing stress on the medical system and providers personally. These objectives are very appropriate as this has been the single worst experience most younger clinicians have experienced. The stress is seemingly unrelenting and finding methods for debriefing, de-stressing, and maintaining hope and trust in patients, coworkers, and the system is critical for moving on and continuing to practice medicine. The book meets its objectives through chapters focusing on debriefing, ways to decompress and destress, and find meaning and hope in a health system that remains under immense stress even now.
Audience: The audience is practicing physicians. It could also apply to other providers such as NPs, PAs, and other team members, but its focus is on the actively practicing physician. While most texts focus on providers as a whole, this one focuses front and center on physicians. Normally, this might seem taboo, but the pandemic has truly placed the brunt of its force on physicians and nurses working in tandem in acute care settings, and this should not be ignored. The authors and editors are appropriate authorities in this field.
Features: This book focuses on the prolonged stress of the COVID-19 pandemic on practicing physicians. It specifically explores how and why physicians are stressed, how this manifests in everyday work rounds, and useful tips on how to deal with this stress and still find meaning in work and continue practicing. It addresses the helpfulness of journaling, mindful reflection, connection with co-workers, as well as looking at the importance of faith and community for many physicians. The biggest concern with this book is perhaps also a strength. It focuses on the current pandemic, which may make it less appealing to future physicians. Additionally, by focusing on physicians specifically, the book may be less appealing to other providers who might also benefit from its resources and suggestions. However, this can appeal to current physicians who continue to experience immense stress from ongoing variant virus strains that are stressing our already depleted health resources.
Assessment: This book is a useful addition to the field and is meant to appeal to all types of physicians due to the way the pandemic has affected all areas of physicians' lives. It is a noble cause worthy of a look. It is perhaps both too late and too early to the field, though. One concern is that many physicians are already coping and working in other areas with coaches and/or therapists and other programs - and yet, still under immense stress from ongoing resurgences, which may make finding time for this kind of reading less appealing, regardless of how helpful it might be.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176035674
Publisher:	Author's Republic
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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