May 22
2024
Battling Physician Burnout with Collaborative Care
By Sussan Nwogwugwu, DNP, PMHNP, Clinical Leader, Done.
Physician burnout, characterized by exhaustion, compassion fatigue and feelings of inadequacy, not only affects physicians; it also affects their care quality, which ultimately compromises patient well-being.
Collaborative care benefits physicians – and patients – alike.
Primary physician burnout by the numbers
The American Medical Association said that burnout symptoms affected almost 63% of physicians in 2021, a significant increase from the previous year.
Primary causes of burnout include “the practice of clinical medicine… your specific job… having a life… the conditioning of our medical education… and leadership skills of…immediate supervisors,” according to the AAFP. A collaborative care model can remedy burnout.
The benefits of collaborative care
Psychiatry.org says a collaborative care team “is led by a primary care provider and includes behavioral health care managers, psychiatrists and… other mental health professionals… The team implements a measurement-guided care plan based on evidence-based practice guidelines and focuses particular attention on patients not meeting their clinical goals.”
In addition to decreasing clinical workloads, this collaboration also leads to improved feelings of job satisfaction. Further, clinicians experience lower levels of isolation, and a collaborative environment enables knowledge-sharing, ultimately enabling professional growth.
In addition to benefiting clinicians, collaborative care benefits mental health patients by improving access to holistic, specialized care. For patients with chronic conditions, it is especially advantageous.
Components of comprehensive care
Comprehensive care, according to AAFP, is “prevention and management of multiple physical and emotional health problems of a patient over a period of time...”
Its three pillars include impact analysis; evidence-based interventions; and an inclusive patient approach incorporating frequent reviews. Comprehensive care that’s baked into a collaborative care model helps enhance clinician well-being and reduce the burden on primary care providers. It also benefits patients who receive care under this model.