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Essays on burnout in physicians
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Final Research Paper – The Value of a Doctor
In recent years, greater and greater emphasis has been placed on meeting the demands of the growing population. In regards to the American health care system, the nature of medicine is shifting from treating the individual to the management of many patients, resulting in physicians influenced to be more focused on curing the disease than healing the patient. In order to follow the expectations of the progressively mechanized medical system, these doctors are more and more pressured to limit the time with each patient to maximize efficiency. The increasing compartmentalization of a physician’s time has changed the occupational structure of the field, and has consequently depersonalized patient care, compromised the original ideals for wanting to become a doctor, and diminished the value of a physician’s work.
The fact that medicine is becoming more specialized is clear. In his book, Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science, surgeon Atul Gawande reflects on this change, “Twenty-five years ago, general surgeons performed hysterectomies, removed lung cancers, and bypassed hardened leg arteries. Today, each condition has its specialist, who perform one narrow set of procedures over and over again” (Gawande, 38) . One study showed that a growing proportion of primary care physicians reported referring more patients to specialists: in 2001, 25.5% of primary care physicians said they had referred more patients to specialists in the past two years, compared with 17.8% in 1997.
This increase in specialized care reflects the overarching trend of increased efficiency in the health care system. Narrowing the scope of focus when diagnosing or performing a procedure allows the spe...
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...The New England journal of medicine 359 (2008): 2748-2751. 7 Apr. 2009 .
Collier, Virginia U., Jack D. McCue, Allan Markus, and Lawrence Smith. "Stress in Medical Residency: Status Quo after a Decade of Reform?" Annals of Internal Medicine 5th ser. 136 (2002): 384. Perspective. 5 Mar. 2002. American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine. 24 Apr. 2009 .
Mukherjee, Siddhartha. " Becoming a Physician: A Precarious Exachange" The New England journal of medicine 351 (2004): 1822-1824. 25 Apr. 2009 < http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/351/18/1822.pdf>
PRWeb. "Physician Burnout and Stress Now Reaching Critical Levels." Press release. Press Release Newswire. 12 Apr. 2007. PRWeb. 25 Apr. 2009 .
The concepts discussed within the article regarding medicalization and changes within the field of medicine served to be new knowledge for me as the article addressed multiple different aspects regarding the growth of medicalization from a sociological standpoint. Furthermore, the article “The Shifting Engines of Medicalization” discussed the significant changes regarding medicalization that have evolved and are evidently practiced within the contemporary society today. For instance, changes have occurred within health policies, corporatized medicine, clinical freedom, authority and sovereignty exercised by physicians has reduced as other factors began to grow that gained importance within medical care (Conrad 4). Moreover, the article emphasized
When we see patients, we must remember that we are not simply treating a disease. We are caring for people with lives, hobbies, jobs, families, and friends, who are likely in a very vulnerable position. We must ensure that we use the status of physicians to benefit patients first and foremost, and do what we promised to when we entered the profession: provide care and improve quality of life, and hopefully leave the world a little better than it was
Zuger’s point-by-point organization emphasizes the difference between one medical student with older traditional values, and another medical student who embodies the modern hospital standards. The traditional student is unorganized, stays late, does everything for herself, but truly cares for the patients and their families. On the other side, the modern student is clean and organized, does only what his job describes, works only his hours and nothing more. He works as a team with the rest of the staff, but he doesn’t truly care for the patients. Modern medicine has made leaps and bounds in the field of keeping people alive, but true care of a doctor also helps the patient and their family.
There has been a shortage of physicians, lack of inpatient beds, problems with ambulatory services, as well as not having proper methods of dealing with patient overflow, all in the past 10 years (Cummings & francescutti, 2006, p.101). The area of concern that have been worse...
Question Quote "I doubt that these experiences are unique to the hospitals or the medical school at which I have thus far trained. I expect that they pervade health care systems throughout the country. I give credit to my medical school for teaching me to be critical of the culture of medicine, apply interdisciplinary perspectives to clinical quandaries, and reflect on my experiences." (Brooks KC. 2015.)
The number of doctors that present in the United States of America directly affects the communities that these doctors serve and plays a large role in how the country and its citizens approach health care. The United States experienced a physician surplus in the 1980s, and was affected in several ways after this. However, many experts today have said that there is currently a shortage of physicians in the United States, or, at the very least, that there will be a shortage in the near future. The nation-wide statuses of a physician surplus or shortage have many implications, some of which are quite detrimental to society. However, there are certain remedies that can be implemented in order to attempt to rectify the problems, or alleviate some of their symptoms.
Burnout is a highly unusual type of stress disorder that is essentially characterized by emotional exhaustion, lack of empathy with patients, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishments. The nature of the work that healthcare practitioners perform predisposes them to emotional exhaustion. On the other hand, the lack of empathy towards patients is caused by the nurses feeling that they are underpaid and unappreciated. Numerous researches have associated burnout with the increasing rate of nurse turnover. This paper explores the causes of burnouts in nurses as well as what can be done to prevent the them.
The article examined many studies conducted to measure stress and burnout in nurses and found that the environment and conditions in the workplace have a great deal to do with the perceived stress levels. In the article, it speaks of the definition of stress as being a negative factor that is perceived to pose a threat to the perceiver. This definition goes on to state that one person may see an event as stressful, while another may view the same situation as exhilarating. The important part of this “new definition” is that we can choose, by manipulation of our attitudes, to view our lives as stress filled or an enjoyable ride. One’s perception is a big factor in workplace stress.
Have you ever just felt that your job is draining the life out? Do you just dread going to work in the morning? Many people experience burnout, which is mental or physical energy depletion after a period of chronic, unrelieved job-related stress (Elsevier, 2009). Physical therapists are just one of the victims out of numerous that experience burnouts. Given that health coverage has changed physical therapists (PT) are more likely to face burnout because of job stress resulting from overwork and not caring for their own well-being.
“Medical malpractice occurs when a hospital, doctor, or other health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, causes an injury to a patient” (ABPLA). The problem with medical malpractice involves malpractice claims, unnecessary procedures, the general system, communication issues, and reform efforts. Although medical malpractice is a significant concern, much is being done to address this problem.
Regardless of the best attempts of medical professionals and educators to increase the workforce over the past, shortages are anticipated in every health care profession. The estimated supply of workers fails to meet the need related with population growth and aging of the population. With the continuous necessity for medical services for the millions who are projected to sign up for Medicaid and the federal and state insurance exchanges, the labor force shortages could become devastating.
...d procedures are now being monitored to improve clinical processes. Ensuring that these processes are implemented in a timely, effective manner can also improve the quality of care given to patients. Management of the processes ensures accountability of the effectiveness of care, which, as mentioned earlier, improves outcomes. Lastly, providing reimbursements based on the quality of care and not the quantity also decreases the “wasting” and overuse of supplies. Providers previously felt the need to do more than necessary to meet a certain quota based on a quantity of supplies or other interventions used. Changing this goal can significantly decrease the cost of care due to using on the supplies necessary to provide effective, high-quality care. I look forward to this implementation of change and hope to see others encouraging an increase in high-quality healthcare.
Leon Pachter, et al. "The Stress Of Residency: Recognizing The Signs Of Depression And Suicide In You And Your Fellow Residents." American Journal Of Surgery 205.2 (2013): 141-146. MEDLINE. EBSCO. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.
...dilemma for young doctors." Medical Education 44.8 (2010): 805-813. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
What will US healthcare look like in 2050? According to Getzen (2013), trends in better health will lead to greater need for long-term care and chronic care for the aging population while correspondingly trending toward less acute illnesses (p. 438). Personalized prognostic healthcare will lead to healthier longer lives (Lawrence, 2010). Physicians will become leaders of teams within healthcare organizations rather than the independent practitioners we are familiar with today (Getzen, 2013, p. 438). Thus, the concept of the primary care physician will become a thing of the past (Lawrence, 2010).