Introduction
The AMA’s Physician Well-Being Program aims to raise awareness, advance knowledge and catalyze change to reduce burnout and promote joy, meaning and purpose for physicians, practices and health systems.
Research
The AMA grounds its practice transformation work in ongoing research in professional satisfaction and organizational well-being. AMA-led research has helped to identify system-level drivers associated with physician and care team burnout, consequences when burnout is not addressed, and strategies organizations can implement for effective and sustainable changes in the well-being of their physicians and care teams.
- Changes in burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration in physicians
- Imposter phenomenon in U.S. physicians
- The association between resilience and burnout
- The connection between childcare stress and burnout
- Physicians’ experiences with mistreatment and discrimination and association with burnout
- Research synopsis: Professional satisfaction and practice sustainability (PDF)
Measure
The Organizational Biopsy® (PDF) is a well-being assessment tool developed and offered by the AMA to support organizations in holistically measuring and taking action to improve the well-being of their organization. The Organizational Biopsy provides a comprehensive assessment across four domains:
- Organizational Culture (leadership, teamwork, trust, etc.)
- Practice Efficiency (team structure, team stability, workflows, etc.)
- Self-Care (post-traumatic stress, post-traumatic growth, work-life balance, etc.)
- Retention (work intentions)
Act
The AMA STEPS Forward® Program offers open access practice innovation strategies that allow physicians and their teams to thrive in the evolving health care environment. Physicians looking to refocus their practice can find practical, actionable steps to implementation with toolkits and playbooks, podcasts, videos, success stories, interactive tools and more.
Key resources
- AMA STEPS Forward Playbook Series: Comprehensive guides on saving time, taming the EHR, digital health, and starting/sustaining a private practice.
- AMA STEPS Forward Podcast Series: Health care leaders share personal stories and insights on overcoming practice challenges.
- AMA STEPS Forward Innovation Academy: Subject matter experts participate in webinars, panel discussions, and other virtual events.
- Practice Innovation Topic Pages: A list of tools on physician burnout, behavioral health integration, digital health, leadership and culture, EHR improvement, practice models and patient-centered care.
The AMA Debunking Regulatory Myths series helps physicians and care teams understand medical regulatory requirements.
Key regulatory victories: The AMA advocates against administrative burden by shaping more than 40 policies and securing 12 regulatory victories.
Recognize
The AMA Joy in Medicine™ Health System Recognition Program serves as a strategic roadmap (PDF) to support organizations in their journey to improve professional satisfaction and organizational well-being. The goal of the program is to unite the health care community in building a culture committed to increasing joy in medicine for the profession nationwide.
Since the program’s launch in 2019, more than 80 health systems have been recognized for their dedication to building well-being and reducing physician burnout in their organization.
Convene
The AMA is a proud co-sponsor of two prominent conferences focused specifically on combating physician burnout and improving physician health and well-being.
American Conference on Physician Health
Oct. 11–13, 2023 | JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa—Palm Desert, Calif.
The biennial American Conference on Physician Health (ACPH) is a joint scientific conference sponsored by Mayo Clinic, Stanford Medicine and the American Medical Association that promotes scientific research and discourse on health system infrastructure and actionable steps organizations can take to improve physician well-being. Registration for ACPH 2023 opens June 1!
International Conference on Physician Health
Fall 2024 | Location TBD, Canada
The biennial International Conference on Physician Health™, supported by the Canadian Medical Association, British Medical Association and American Medical Association, supports doctors and medical students in creating better working environments for themselves and their colleagues.
For more information on the AMA’s event programming on physician health, email [email protected].
