Find ways to pursue a higher level of wellness
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The end of a year presents challenges and opportunities to improve wellness. Wellness is a process whereby we seek to achieve our full potential in life. Wellness is not a destination. It is a journey toward a positive lifestyle that supports and nurtures core values.
As we prepare for 2022, hopefully we can develop a plan to achieve a higher level of wellness. As we improve our own health, we positively affect family, friends, coworkers and acquaintances. For many health care professionals, the ability to impact others’ lives has been constrained for the past 2 years. However, to place blame entirely on the COVID-19 pandemic is short-sighted. Before 2020, all measures of societal mental health, such as depression, anxiety, addiction, burnout and suicide, had reached record levels.
Many in orthopedics had a false belief that their commitment to treating patients with musculoskeletal problems, combined with technology and innovations and high-income potential, protected us from increasingly adverse events in professional and personal satisfaction. Unfortunately, the truth is 34% of orthopedic surgeons have reported burnout, with a similar percentage identifying a poor work-life balance with too many hours spent on work responsibilities. Furthermore, the highest burnout rates of 48% are reported in the mid-career physicians. Additionally, U.S. physicians have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession.
Challenges of health care
As the COVID-19 pandemic races toward its fifth surge, we realize that we are not returning to a pre-pandemic practice environment shortly. The pandemic has decimated the health care workforce, leading to staffing shortages. Resignations are at record levels, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting more than 4 million people resigning per month and more than 10 million jobs open. A lean staffing model negatively affects a physician’s professional life, including more time with administrative and operational responsibilities, less throughput of patients and diminishing work-life balance.
Today, we are challenged to adapt to a remarkable transformation occurring in health care. The application of business principles in terms of return on investment, profit margins, operational efficiencies, combined with the accelerated impact of technology with data collection and analysis, juxtaposed to the concepts of value-based care and reducing overall cost per episode of care will continue to create a chaotic and unpredictable environment for health care providers.
Many suggest this transformation is in the patient’s best interest; however, the actual delivery of genuine value-based care remains most significantly impacted by the personal relationship between the physician and patient, especially in the OR. Unfortunately, without prioritizing the mental health of the providers, many initiatives provide brief financial benefits to a few stakeholders yet establish the foundation for more impersonal and less valuable health care experiences for patients and providers.
Prioritize wellness
As we prepare for 2022, we must realize the importance of wellness and prioritize time to pursue the journey. Celebrate your accomplishments of the past year. Identify areas where you need to realign with your values and goals. To achieve professional success, we need mental and physical strength, perseverance, tolerance and resiliency to minimize burnout, job dissatisfaction, work-life imbalance and relationship failure.
The behaviors that improve wellness are well-known, but often difficult to prioritize. Exercise daily, even if it is just for 30 minutes. Eat nutritious foods. Get enough sleep to resolve fatigue. Consider new foods or supplements to help with nutrition, immunity and cognitive skills. Meditate or spend time with your mind, with a consistent effort to define your purpose in life. Get outdoors and be active in nature. Learn something new every day. Spend time with your family and be mindful and present during this time. Love your companion every day. Love yourself.
You are a gift to your patients and to those who you interact with every day. Find a way to pursue a higher level of wellness so you can reach your full potential.
- References:
- www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/now-s-time-have-difficult-talk-about-physician-suicide
- www.medscape.com/slideshow/2020-lifestyle-burnout-6012460
- https://nationalwellness.org/resources/six-dimensions-of-wellness
- Kalmoe, MC, et al. Mo Med. 2019;116(3):211–216.
- For more information:
- Anthony A. Romeo, MD, is the Chief Medical Editor of Orthopedics Today. He can be reached at Orthopedics Today, 6900 Grove Road, Thorofare, NJ 08086; email: orthopedics@healio.com.
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