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Acupuncture training may lessen burnout symptoms
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Researchers found a link between acupuncture training and decreased physician depersonalization, according to findings reported in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
“Primary care physicians seek to practice acupuncture as a way to provide options for their patients, to focus on patients’ whole-person health, and to expand their knowledge and skills,” Paul F. Crawford III, MD, of the department of family medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Services, and colleagues wrote.
“Drawing from the premise that burnout in professionals can be reduced by providing avenues for creativity and developing a sense of purpose, we sought to determine if physicians who completed acupuncture training report less emotional exhaustion and depersonalization than those who did not,” they added.
Crawford and colleagues reviewed 233 surveys PCPs submitted regarding level of acupuncture training, depersonalization and emotional exhaustion.
They found that physicians with acupuncture training had decreased depersonalization (P < .05). Also, more years of clinical practice was tied to less depersonalization and higher percentage of clinical time was tied to greater depersonalization (P for both < .01).
“More research is needed to understand the reasons physicians choose acupuncture training. It is possible that those seeking acupuncture training have personality styles or coping mechanisms that make them less susceptible to burnout,” Crawford and colleagues wrote.
“Additional research should focus on prospectively evaluating burnout measures across acupuncture training, and then attempt to identify which acquired acupuncture skills are the most effective at reducing burnout,” they added. – by Janel Miller
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.