Becker's Hospital Review

64 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP Quint Studer Says We Can Heal Physician Burnout — and Healthcare Organizations Can Lead the Way By Molly Gamble A s a performance expert and the mind behind evidence-based leadership, Quint Studer has spent years advising hospital leadership on how to lead through change. Only in recent years did he fully realize how poorly physi- cians are faring — and it was then that he started thinking about what was to become his newest book, Healing Physician Burnout. "Major shis in the external envi- ronment have changed the game for everyone in healthcare," he says. "But I think nobody has gone through more change than physicians." Mr. Studer says physician engagement and alignment is not a new priority in healthcare. He remembers reading a book about it in the late 1980s or early 1990s. In the past, though, results were inconsistent. Now, with many health systems being more fully in- tegrated, with more physician employment, with accountable care organizations, with population health, with shared risk formulas, everyone is on the same page — or soon will be. Motivation to heal burnout is at an all-time high. Studer Group conducted a series of panel discussions with physicians and leaders across the country to determine the root caus- es of burnout. Insights from these interviews combined with Studer Group's proven tactics yielded the book's innovative and powerful ap- proaches for recognizing, diagnosing and treating physician burnout. One thing's for sure: Burnout is a symptom of many big, complex issues unfolding in healthcare. And many physicians are suffering from it — whether they're fully aware of this or not. Recognizing burnout People with medical degrees can't always diagnose themselves. A physician recently walked up to Mr. Studer to tell him he was ex- periencing symptoms of burnout — something he didn't recog- nize until reading the book. "Burnout" is a common term in our language. You may hear someone say they are burned out on watching a TV show, follow- ing a diet or hearing a Top 40 song. Burnout has the connotation of disinterest or boredom — a plight with an easy fix. at's why if you casually mention you felt burned out from work, someone might recommend that you take a vacation, for instance. But burnout is not casual nor easily solved with five days on the beach. is condition was codified by psychologist Christina Maslach, PhD, as having three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, cynicism and ineffectiveness. It leaves you physically, spiritually and emotionally drained. Your personality changes. You progres- sively lose your ideals, your energy and sense of purpose. It be- comes difficult to function on a professional level. ose experiencing burnout have a range of symptoms, in- cluding insomnia, irritability, headaches, inability to concentrate, depression or anxiety, and the sense that they are "just going through the motions." ey may self medicate with drug or alco- hol abuse. ey may even exhibit suicidal thoughts or behaviors. In 2015, 46 percent of physicians claimed they were burnt out — an uptick from the 40 percent who reported as much in 2013, according to the Medscape Physician Lifestyle Report. e spe- cialties most affected are critical care (53 percent) and emergency medicine (52 percent), but the lowest rate of burnout reported (among dermatologists) was still 37 percent. In the past five years, several physicians have put pen to pa- per to describe burnout in their own words. Mr. Studer's book features personal stories from five physicians who shared their struggles with burnout and what they did to overcome it. ese anecdotes add to a growing volume of notes from the field. "When I look at my career at midlife, I realize that in many "Major shifts in the external environment have changed the game for everyone in healthcare. But I think nobody has gone through more change than physicians."

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