Stigma – Clinician Well-Being Knowledge Hub

A Call to Action: Improving Clinician Well-Being and Patient Care and Safety

NAM — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 13:18:44 +0000

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio collaborated with The Ohio State University College of Nursing Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare to create A Call to Action: Improving Clinician Well-Being and Patient Care and Safety. The Call to Action outlines the bi-directional relationship between clinician well-being and patient care, calls attention to the health problems clinicians face related to burnout, and highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. As part of this approach, state policymakers and healthcare leaders have an important role in implementing evidence-informed policies and practices such as advancing positive organizational culture, promoting wellness programs, reducing stigma toward seeking mental health treatment, increasing access to mental health services, and monitoring the data on student and clinician wellness.

We Don’t Need Self-Care; We Need Boundaries

NAM — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 20:25:01 +0000

This op-ed from a female physician talks about the “faux self care” advice that women in medicine receive when they are burnt out. Women in medicine are often told to just get lunch, get a manicure, or do yoga but it ends up as an item on their to-do list that guilt trips them and doesn’t seem to solve any problems. This is because it is not actually self care. Self care is defined as the internal hard work of making decisions for yourself. However, for women in medicine, making these decisions is difficult, especially in a hyper-productivity oriented medical culture. She discusses the broken system that places the burden of improving resilience onto the individual and exonerates the system. She encourages setting boundaries as a form of self-care to counteract a system that will make doctors feel ashamed for reaching their limit.

Exploring Moral Resilience Toward A Culture of Ethical Practice

NAM — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:58:54 +0000

This report published by the American Nurses Association discusses a call to action for improving moral resilience in order to address ethical challenges that nurses face. Moral resilience is seen as an important capacity for nurses to cultivate due to the many challenges faced in an inherently stressful environment. Transforming individual and team distress along with the organizational culture that contributes to this will create conditions where moral and ethical practice can thrive. The report includes recommendations from an individual and organizational level to apply interventions that foster moral resilience.

The Embedded Counseling Model: An Application for Dental Students

NAM — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 13:36:46 +0000

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a counseling office on dental students at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics during their first three academic semesters. A full time psychologist was hired to provide in house counseling sessions to individual students. During clinical assessment, data was gathered on students’ psychological history and high risk behaviors. An outcome rating scale was utilized after each session to assess overall psychotherapy outcome. Results found a positive correlation between the number of counseling appointments and overall functioning. The most significant increase followed after the sessions. This suggests that counseling offices are efficient in promoting well-being of students and further research is needed in this area so that faculty can best meet the needs of their students.

Tackling Stress Management, Addiction, and Suicide Prevention in a Predoctoral Dental Curriculum

NAM — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 13:32:12 +0000

This article, published in Predoctoral Dental Education describes a module designed by the University Of British Columbia Faculty Of Dentistry to address stress management and suicide prevention in dental education. The course includes standardized patients, guest lectures, in-class activities, video presentations, and self-reflections. The purpose of the module is to increase discussion of stress in dentistry curriculum and awareness in dental students. Follow up studies with students who have taken the module are needed to determine its impact on health behaviors.

Physicians Experience Highest Suicide Rate of Any Profession

NAM — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 20:39:07 +0000

The following article summarizes a systematic literature review of physician suicide, which shows that the suicide rate among physicians is more than double that in the general population and is not restricted to North America. The review covers both common obstacles to seeking medical treatment such as stigma, as well as the common factors that contribute to physician suicide. The very high rate of physician suicide is both alarming and not very surprising, given the stressors physicians face, beginning in medical school and residency, which is further exacerbated by dwindling healthcare resources and residency positions.

Suicided Doctor: Covered Up With a Tarp—and Silence.

NAM — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 20:10:28 +0000

The following article advocates for the need to hold medical systems and communities accountable for understanding why physician suicides occur. The author, Pamela Wible WD, shares emails and personal narratives presented to her from physicians and their loved ones, struggling to cope with, understand, and prevent suicides among physicians. Suicide among doctors is a global epidemic, and must be appropriately addressed through open communication, support groups, and fearless leadership within hospitals.

A Physician’s Suffering – Facing Depression as a Trainee

NAM — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 20:26:40 +0000

Published in JAMA, this perspective piece by Colleen M. Farrell details her own experience with depression during her fourth year of medical school. Despite suicidal thoughts, Farrell delayed seeking care due to the logistical and financial challenges of finding a clinician and general stigma. Farrell highlights the shame and unjustified position as a caregiver, that she felt, in accepting help. Although Farrell wanted to be perceived as smart and capable by her physicians, faculty, and patients, her depression made her realize that she is not so fundamentally different from her patients.

A Physician’s Suffering – Facing Depression as a Trainee

NAM — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 21:13:48 +0000

Published in JAMA, this perspective piece by Colleen M. Farrell details her own experience with depression during her fourth year of medical school. Despite suicidal thoughts, Farrell delayed seeking care due to the logistical and financial challenges of finding a clinician and general stigma. Farrell highlights the shame and unjustified position as a caregiver, that she felt, in accepting help. Although Farrell wanted to be perceived as smart and capable by her physicians, faculty, and patients, her depression made her realize that she is not so fundamentally different from her patients.

Multiple-Institution Comparison of Resident and Faculty Perceptions of Burnout and Depression during Surgical Training

NAM — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 21:09:51 +0000

The following review evaluates both the prevalence of burnout and depression, as well as the perception of such conditions, through a cross-sectional survey of 92 residents and 55 attendings. Findings show that prevalence of burnout and depression was high among attendings and residents, yet 51% of residents and 75% of attendings underestimated the prevalence of these conditions. Discrepancies in actual and perceived levels of burnout and depression may hinder wellness interventions. Increasing understanding of these perceptions may therefore offer an opportunity to develop practical solutions.