Key Points:

·         Burnout includes 3 general categories of symptoms: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of low personal accomplishment.

·         Burnout rates are well over 40% in most clinician groups, including providers, nurses, mental health professionals, and social workers.  In some groups, the rate is over 80%.

·         Burnout can be caused by the very qualities that help you handle the challenges of being a clinician.  Self-deprivation, wanting to seem in control emotionally, and wanting to seem in control of outcomes can all contribute to burnout.  External factors, such as workload, colleague relationships, and level of autonomy, can also contribute.

·         Burnout can have multiple negative effects on physical and mental health, as well as on work performance and patient outcomes.

·         Burnout can be prevented or reversed through cultivating resilience.  All aspects of the Circle of Health can help with that, including reflection on values, self-care, seeking professional care, and mobilizing resources both inside and out of the workplace.

Introduction

In 2008, the “Triple Aim of Health Care” was described by Don Berwick, former Administrator of Medicare and Medicaid Services, and his colleagues.²  The 3 aims are: (1) improving the experience of care, (2) enhancing the health of populations, and (3) reducing care costs.  While these 3 areas are important, it has been argued that a fundamentally important aim is left out: the well-being of health care professionals.  Clinician well-being has now been added in to create the “Quadruple Aim,” and increasing numbers of researchers, health care leaders, and clinicians have been asking how to make it more of a reality.³

When your self-care as a clinician falls by the wayside—when life becomes imbalanced, work demands become unmanageable, or your stress isn’t addressed—you are at increased risk for burnout.  Burnout is devastating to personal relationships, wellness, and ability to provide quality care.  This tool reviews common questions about burnout, including what it is, its causes, and who experiences it.  Perhaps most importantly, it discusses ways to prevent and heal it by cultivating resilience and engagement through mindful awareness, self-care, interpersonal connections, and organizational change.