Survey: Stable Work Environment, Teamwork, Needed to Help Prevent MD Burnout
A survey whose findings were just released offers some insights into the complexity of the physician-burnout-and-EHRs issue. The survey, the second “Physician Sentiment Index 2021 Report” from the Watertown, Mass.-based athenahealth, was released on July 6, based on an online survey of practicing physicians conducted during the October through December 2020 period, among physicians using all electronic health record systems.
A press release published on Tuesday by athenahealth summarized the challenges in its headline, “Physicians Struggle to maintain Balance Amid Organizational Change, According to athenahealth Survey.” As the press release noted, the survey of 799 practicing physicians was “conducted to understand how physicians feel about the resources and support they receive to do their job in an effort to better identify and address opportunities to fortify U.S. essential healthcare workers. The physicians answered questions related to organizational issues, technological challenges, physician wellbeing, providing quality patient care, and more.” As the press release noted, “One finding from the survey shows that, since late 2018, more than 50 percent of the respondents experienced major organizational changes, including staff layoffs and furloughs, mergers and/or acquisitions, or new technology implementations. Healthcare continues to consolidate at a rapid pace, as mergers and acquisitions proliferate. Under normal circumstances, these organizational changes can take a toll as they disrupt workflows, job responsibilities, professional relationships, and more. Of the major organizational changes we studied, going through a merger or acquisition made respondents less likely to say they intend to stay with their organization (58 percent vs. 74 percent who weren’t affected) or recommend it to friends or family members for care (68 percent vs. 85 percent), because of uncertainty around future roles and workplace culture. They reported feeling inspired to go above and beyond less frequently (63 percent vs. 78 percent) and less safe and supported (47 percent vs. 72 percent) by their organizations.”
What’s more, “These respondents seemed to suffer especially in their personal connections with colleagues. Physicians who underwent some type of M&A did not feel as positive about their collaboration with physician colleagues (52 percent vs. 63 percent who weren’t affected), quality of non-physician colleagues (48 percent vs. 62 percent), top-of-license care (41 percent vs. 59 percent), and the quality of their immediate supervisors (45 percent vs. 69 percent).”
The survey found that, “To improve morale, the data showed that organizations can also support physicians by fostering a culture in which they feel safe, supported, able to share opinions freely, and heard.” And that’s been made even more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which 28 percent of responding physicians reported experiencing temporary furloughs at their organizations, while fully 14 percent had experienced layoffs. That left survey respondents feeling more burned out—50 percent who had been furloughed or laid off, versus 44 percent not affected, while those furloughed or laid off also reported heightened feelings of callousness in their organizations (31 percent versus 23 percent) and isolation (37 percent versus 30 percent) at least a few times a month.
What’s more, fully 23 percent of physicians reported going through a major technological transition in the past 24 months, such as an EHR implementation. As the press release noted, “These physicians were, predictably, far more frustrated with their EHR than others – and less likely to believe they had received sufficient training. More broadly, they were less likely to feel technology helps them deliver high-quality care. It is likely some of this sentiment can be mitigated with deliberate, proactive training, and support around technology changes.”
“The Physician Sentiment Index survey reflects the taxing impact of industry consolidation, technology changes, and layoffs/furloughs during the pandemic,” said Jessica Sweeney-Platt, vice president of research and editorial strategy at athenahealth, in a statement contained in the press release. “This makes it even more notable that on balance, physicians continue to be committed to delivering superior patient care. The key for this result is a strong support system, proactive technological trainings, and ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues.”
The athenahealth executives have also released a full article with more details of results from the survey, on their website. That article can be accessed here.
