PLX Academy · Personal Experience · 13 June 2022
“Physician wellness is not a one-way street. The individual has to do things to keep their body and mind in a good place. That’s the individual’s responsibility. The healthcare system responsibility [is] maintaining and preventing burnout and improving wellness,” says Dr. Waguih Ishak, psychiatrist in Los Angeles
Far too many physicians experience burnout or long-term, irresolvable job-related stress that leads to exhaustion, cynicism and feelings of detachment. A Medscape survey of 13,000 doctors found that the most burned out physicians in the US are those in emergency medicine (60%) and critical care (56%). While 60% of physicians pointed to overwhelming bureaucratic demands, followed by a lack of respect from administrators, colleagues and staff and long hours, more than one in three connected burnout to their own personality traits or individual frailty, and 23% said they were not sure. However, 43% discounted this notion. The care of patients with COVID was far less likely to cause burnout and was cited with only 12%.
Dr. Waguih Ishak – a psychiatrist in Los Angeles, California who is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, says: “We’ve seen a lot of physicians really having to juggle so many aspects of not just taking great care of patients, but also focusing on making their own wellness a priority.”
From an individual physician’s perspective, Dr. Ishak advises a three-pronged approach to the treatment for burnout: medicine, therapy or life coaching, and wellness activities. The medicine is to help regulate body functions and reduce the severity of the condition. The coaching is intended to help reengage someone back into their day-to-day life activities and pursuit of happiness. Wellness activities range from exercise and eating well to simply appreciating the environment and forging meaningful connections with people.
“Physician wellness is not a one-way street. It’s a two-way street. The individual has to do things to keep their body and mind in a good place. That’s the individual’s responsibility. The healthcare system responsibility [is] maintaining and preventing burnout and improving wellness.”
While it is important for individuals to look after themselves, the burden must not fall entirely on them, Dr. Ishak explained. In order to find the right balance between individual and systemic responsibility, a series of activities should be done that will include individual activities but also workplace interventions in hospitals.