The pressures of contemporary medicine are intense–and come in many forms–so paying attention to the psychological and emotional well-being of physicians has never been more important for leaders, and for the physicians themselves. Having a robust well-being program is key to establishing and maintaining a culture of care for physicians.
If your organization doesn’t have one yet, what can you do?
You can become a well-being advocate.
If you’re a leader, rightly concerned with costs and ROI, you can learn about the many bottom-line benefits of investing in physician well-being. Benefits like having a powerful recruiting tool or greater retention and fewer medical errors because of the reduced risk of burnout.
If you’re a physician, you can be on the lookout for colleagues who appear overstressed, depressed or otherwise distressed and offer them a listening ear and a caring heart. Going further, you can bring well-being issues you’ve witnessed or experienced to the attention of department heads. You can join with colleagues who share your concerns or participate in your organization’s well-being committee, if it has one.
There’s more you can do, too—look for it in our next two Insight posts, and in our article, Approaching Leadership to Advocate for Physician Well-Being Programs. Physician well-being is a crucial part of any health care organization’s commitment to its primary goal—holistic health for all—and to its viability as a business.
