Instrument – Clinician Well-Being Knowledge Hub

Association of Medical Scribes in Primary Care With Physician Workflow and Patient Experience

NAM — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 20:08:43 +0000

This study published in JAMA Internal Medicine investigates whether the use of medical scribes decreases electronic health record documentation burden and improves productivity. Widespread use of EHRs in medical care has resulted in increased physician workload and less patient-doctor interaction. While there has been an increased use of medical scribes for EHR assistance, few studies have examined their use rigorously. This study randomly assigned primary care physicians to start a three month period with and without scribes and alternated their exposure status every three months for a year. A survey was conducted after each study period to measure perceptions of documentation burden and visit interactions. Results showed that scribed periods were associated with less self-reported after hours EHR documentation and a higher likelihood of more patient interaction.

Care for the Caregiver Quality Checking Tool

NAM — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 19:19:48 +0000

Planetree released a 10-question Quality Checking Tool measuring the care of caregivers at healthcare institutions. Strategies listed for improving retention are supporting caregivers in maintaining physical health and emotional well-being, enhancing employee engagement, increasing joy in practice, and ultimately, improving quality of care.

An Exploratory Study of Resident Burnout and Wellness

NAM — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 15:31:36 +0000

Published in Academic Medicine, this paper’s objective was to determine which resident-identified factors are associated with the presence and absence of burnout. Pessimism was the only burnout factor associated with all three burnout scales. Use of prescription medications was the only wellness factor associated with all three burnout scales, indicating low burnout. Program directors should consider multiple factors associated with burnout when designing interventions. The aim should be to bolster wellness factors and minimize stressors in an effort to reduce burnout.

Ability of a 9-item Well-Being Index to Identify Distress and Stratify Quality of Life in US Workers

NAM — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 15:28:54 +0000

The study, published by American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, aimed to determine whether the well-being index (WBI) can identify US workers in distress and stratify quality of life (QOL). Workers and physicians were evaluated for efficacy of the WBI and an expanded version of the WBI (eWBI) in identifying individuals with distress — high fatigue, burnout, low QOL, and suicidal ideation — and high QOL. The results show eWBI improved stratification among individuals with low scores on WBI and also identified individuals with high quality of life in both groups. Ergo, the eWBI can be utilized as a screening tool to identify individuals in distress across different domains and identify individuals with well-being.

Utility of a Brief Screening Tool To Identify Physicians in Distress

NAM — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 15:20:56 +0000

This study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, sought to evaluate the ability of the seven-item Physician Well-Being Index (PWBI) to i) stratify physician well-being in several important dimensions (mental quality of life [QOL], fatigue, suicidal ideation); and ii) identify physicians whose degree of distress may negatively impact their practice (career satisfaction, intent to leave current position, medical errors). The authors conducted a survey evaluating burnout and quality of life among American physicians in 2011. The authors found that the seven-item PWBI appears to be a useful screening index to identify physicians with distress in a variety of dimensions and whose degree of distress may negatively impact their practice.