self-care for HEALTHCARE

Healthcare provider burnout is real.  It existed before the pandemic, and now, rates of provider burnout are higher than ever before.

Practitioner wellness is essential for so many reasons, including for their own health and well-being and for the continued safety and high-quality care for patients. While they must remain focused on serving their patients, they cannot do it from an empty vessel. Healthcare workers are human beings with a body, mind, and spirit and their well-being is in jeopardy. They need our help now more than ever.

Burnout is a syndrome characterized by a high degree of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (i.e., cynicism), and a low sense of personal accomplishment at work. Providers of all kinds, across all specialties and care settings, are experiencing alarming rates of burnout. Among the most telling of statistics, more than 50 percent of U.S. physicians report significant symptoms and this is before the global pandemic.  According to the National Academy of Medicine, 43% of inpatient nurses have a high degree of emotional exhaustion. Now with the extension of The Covid Pandemic, this is presenting healthcare providers with even greater workplace hardships and moral dilemmas that are exacerbating existing levels of burnout and related mental health problems.

Clinician burnout can have serious, wide-ranging consequences, from reduced job performance and high turnover rates to—in the most extreme cases—medical error and clinician suicide. 

Personal factors, like the amount of social support a clinician has and the individual personality traits they possess, play a role in the development of burnout. Many clinicians suffer from burnout due to organizational and practice demands that exponentially increase the risk of burnout. These include workplace chaos, time pressures, reporting requirements, and workload, among others.  In addition to being burnt out, healthcare providers experience high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, grief, and thoughts of harming themselves.

Healthcare workers need to start taking care of themselves and they need to immediately start feeling rest, relaxation, and restoration before they break. By focusing on healthcare provider well-being, we can provide the support they need to restore health and happiness in their personal life as well as improve patient-clinician relationships. When we invest in self-care for healthcare, everyone wins.

Integrative Healthcare Solutions understands healthcare and we know the value of health and wellness. It’s time to help our essential healthcare workers be well with one of our many programs, initiatives, and resources.