Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1444560
42 CMO / CARE DELIVERY 1 in 5 physicians, 2 in 5 nurses intend to leave practice within 2 years, AMA-led study finds By Kelly Gooch T he healthcare workforce is on the brink of experiencing high staff turn- over rates, indicative of what is being deemed the "Great Resignation," an Ameri- can Medical Association-led study suggested. e study, published Dec. 15, 2021, in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, examined relationships be- tween COVID-19-related stress and work in- tentions, based on a survey conducted between July 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020, among 20,665 workers at 124 hospitals and health systems. Among survey respondents, one in five physicians and two in five nurses said they intend to leave their current practice with- in two years, the study found. Additionally, about one-third of physicians and nurses reported their intention to reduce clinical work hours in the next 12 months. Intention to leave an individual's prac- tice within two years was highest among nurses, advanced practice providers, other clinical staff and physicians. It was lowest among administrators. Intention to reduce hours within 12 months was highest among physicians, nurses and advanced practice providers. Higher levels of burnout, stress, workload, fear of infection, COVID-19-related anxiety or depression, and the number of years in practice were among factors associated with a greater intention to reduce work hours or leave a practice, according to the study. "Because multiple studies have demonstrat- ed that intent to leave among physicians correlates with actual departures, these find- ings are of concern," the study stated. "Costs of replacing healthcare workers are also sub- stantial. Replacing a nurse may cost up to 1.2 to 1.3 times their annual salary. Replacing physicians may cost $250,000 to more than $1 million per physician. e aggregate cost of physicians reducing or cutting back attrib- utable to burnout alone is estimated at $4.6 billion annually in the United States." e American Medical Association said feel- ing highly valued by an individual's organi- zation was strongly associated with lower intention to reduce work hours and leave an individual's current practice. Study authors concluded that "reducing burn- out and improving a sense of feeling valued may allow healthcare organizations to better maintain their workforces post-pandemic." n Yale New Haven Health saved 470 hours of nurses' time in 1 year with EHR tool By Katie Adams Y ale New Haven (Conn.) Health partnered with New England Donor Services, the northeastern U.S.' organ procurement organization, to streamline the organ donation process, Harvard Business Review reported Dec. 13, 2021. Using a new EHR tool, the system sent 5,418 electronic organ donor referrals to New England Donor Services in 2020, saving 470 hours of nurses' time. The standard organ donation process begins when a caretaker of a patient who has died or is near death calls their regional organ procurement organization to conduct a screening to determine whether the patient can be a donor. The call takes 15 minutes on average. New England Donor Services developed a tool that automates organ donor referrals by sending a message with the information needed for the initial screening. The message is sent directly in the EHR, and a message is sent to the hospital to notify their care team whether the patient has potential to donate organs. The messages are sent using the Health Level Seven International information exchange protocol, the report said. Yale New Haven Health tested the tool for eight weeks in 2020 at three critical care floors in its flagship hospital. Originally, the system planned to roll out the tool gradually over the next few years, however, Yale New Haven Health immediately deployed the tool systemwide after seeing how much of nurses' time was saved during the pilot, the report said. Two other New England health systems, Beth Israel Lahey Health and Cambridge Health Alliance, both based in Cambridge, Mass., have deployed the tool since Yale New Haven Health's pilot. n Feeling highly valued by an individual's organization was strongly associated with lower intention to reduce work hours and leave an individual's current practice.