There is a biblical proverb, “physician health thyself,” which means that people should take care of their own defects and not just correct the faults of others. As clinicians, we are committed to helping our patients achieve the best possible health. But are we doing the same for ourselves?
Emerging research shows that clinician stress, fatigue, and burnout (characterized by loss of enthusiasm for work) is affecting health care systems and the quality of patient care.1–3 It is also affecting clinicians' own health and well-being in addition to their job satisfaction.2,4 It is hard to measure the extent of burnout across all clinician disciplines, but for physicians specifically, it is estimated that one in three experience burnout at any given time.5
I recently had the opportunity to attend a prevention conference that focused on patient health and clinician self-care. Although the information itself was not that new, the experiential learning aspect of the conference hit home for most clinicians in attendance. Participants not only learned about physical activity, mindful eating, nutrition, and stress management, but also had to actually practice these behaviors during the conference. It had quite an impact.
Attendees at the conference were 66% physicians, 10% dietitians, 7% nurses, and 21% other (e.g., administrative staff). During most sessions, it was not uncommon for many of the attendees to step up to the microphone and share their personal stories of how they were not taking care of themselves and needed to do better. There was the surgeon who stopped at a fast-food restaurant every morning to get the largest size diet soda for breakfast, the family practice physician who brought doughnuts or other baked goods to work every day for the staff, and many similar stories. As these clinicians stood up and talked about their burnout and lack of self-care, the other attendees seemed empathetic and rejuvenated to commit to their own health needs.
On the last day of the conference, a speaker from a previous year got up and spoke about his experience as an attendee at the prevention conference of a few years ago. As a practicing physician, he had come to the conference feeling depressed that he had just been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome and reported feeling burned out to the point that he was thinking of leaving medicine.
After the conference, he went back to his practice and decided he would talk to his partners about making changes in how they care for themselves and their patients. The practice agreed to arrange for the phones to go to voicemail during the lunch hour so they could all eat a healthier meal. They converted their waiting room to a kitchen so they could prepare healthier food choices and also started offering programs to teach patients how to prepare healthy meals. They started working on an exercise program together and soon created a wellness program for patients, which they are now expanding to other physicians' offices.
Although such drastic changes may not all be realistic for most practices (like having a kitchen for a waiting room, although it was very cool!), the importance of taking care of ourselves is applicable to all. Attaining job satisfaction, finding meaning in work, and achieving a healthy work-life balance are all important to our success as clinicians. The old saying, “Do as I say, not as I do” should not apply. Instead, “Do as I do” should be our motto. Clinicians who manage stress, sleep better, and eat and drink healthful foods and fluids regularly throughout their workday perform better at work, feel better, and provide higher quality patient care.2,4
In her book The Heart Speaks: A Cardiologist Reveals the Secret Language of Healing,6 Mimi Guarneri quotes an unknown author who said, “The I in illness is isolation, and the crucial letters in wellness are we.” Like our patients, we need support to take better care of ourselves. Talk with your colleagues in your practice to find ways to make wellness a priority. Schedule breaks during long work hours, and fill the office with healthier snacks and beverages to eat or drink during those breaks. Sign up to try a mindfulness-based stress reduction program to learn to manage stress and be more mindful in all that you do. Create brief 5-minute activity or meditation breaks at the start or end of the day. Your health is as important as your patients' health. And it is also important to your patients' health; the quality of the care you are able to provide for them will improve as your own well-being improves.
