Every physician I know has a story about a colleague who has struggled with their mental health or even quit the profession because of the challenges of what we do. With nearly one in two physicians in the U.S. experiencing symptoms of burnout, this is a critical moment for medicine and health care. Physicians know it; we feel it—and with a worsening physician shortage, reduced access to care for patients is the disastrous downstream result.
Burnout in medicine goes well beyond simply being frustrated by the demands of your job. It’s a feeling of hopelessness and mental exhaustion that makes it difficult to provide quality care to patients. And when burnout becomes too difficult to manage, physicians sometimes leave medicine behind, compounding our nation’s growing physician shortage.
This is why the AMA has made addressing the root causes of burnout a strategic priority for more than a decade. This effort involves education and training for physicians. It involves working with states to establish confidential physician wellness programs and support for physician health programs. It includes working with licensing and credentialing services to remove outdated questions that ask about “past diagnosis” that can deter physicians from seeking help for their mental health.
But, importantly, our work also involves physician-led advocacy that seeks to dismantle what we know is driving burnout: excessive administrative burdens, battles with insurance companies over patient coverage, poorly designed technology, financial stress for physicians in private practice, and a general lack of autonomy and control in our increasingly bureaucratic health system.
An effective path forward
Another important tool in the battle against burnout is the AMA Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program, which we launched six years ago to set a national framework for what supportive, effective care environments can achieve. We recently recognized 109 hospitals, health systems, and medical groups from across the country for their dedication to our profession’s well-being. We currently recognize over 160 organizations nationwide.
The rigorous selection process demands evidence of system-level change: tackling unnecessary administrative tasks, championing team-based care led by physicians, and reimagining the role of technology to reduce burdens, not multiply them. Creating, implementing and sustaining a culture of well-being that promotes professional fulfillment is the driving force behind our Joy in Medicine effort.
While annual ratings, lists and rankings of all types of health care organizations are commonplace, we created Joy in Medicine to be the standard by which our nation’s best health systems should be evaluated because it recognizes those taking the right steps to care for their physicians, as well as patients.
Not only does Joy in Medicine highlight exemplary health systems, it takes the next important step by providing clear and evidence-informed best practices and guidance to help health systems better understand where they succeed and where they fall short. We believe this to be the most effective way to elevate health system performance and accountability, and to help physicians and their clinical care teams overcome system-level drivers of burnout.
The AMA’s commitment to addressing the underlying factors that contribute to burnout spans our advocating for policy changes and resources that help health systems truly support their clinicians. Joy in Medicine is an integral piece to this puzzle—and to our health care system’s future.
When you take the oath to become a doctor, you commit yourself to the service of others—their health and well-being. It’s important for health system leaders to keep the mental health and well-being of its physicians at the forefront, recognizing the care we can provide depends on it.
