“You can’t get water from a dry well.”
By: Lcdo. Javier A. Laboy Mercado, Psychologist MCS and FHC Collaborator September 2024
What happens when a well runs dry? The signs are quite clear – production decreases, water quality drops, pumps must work harder, and the well’s recovery takes longer. So how do we know when a person has burnout? The signs are not so different. Productivity and work quality decrease, you work longer to achieve the desired results, and recovery takes longer.
Several surveys conducted in Puerto Rico have shown that burnout is also affecting our healthcare professionals. Researchers from the University of Puerto Rico and Universidad Central del Caribe (Pinci 2023) identified burnout symptoms in 64.2% of Puerto Rican medical residents who took the survey. Participants included residents in orthopedic urology, otolaryngology, general surgery, ophthalmology, obstetrics-gynecology, and maxillofacial surgery programs. Similarly, another study (Rivera Santana, 2024) evaluated a sample of 149 psychologists from various disciplines in Puerto Rico, in which more than half presented high levels of exhaustion and cynicism.
A survey conducted by the American Medical Association in the U.S. showed that the highest percentages of burnout occurred in six (6) specialties, many of which practice in hospitals:
Emergency Medicine
Internal Medicine
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Family Medicine
Pediatrics
Hospital Medicine
The data validated the reality among our providers, showing the need to implement strategies for healthcare providers to reduce the impact of burnout on staff satisfaction and the quality of services they offer.
Unlike tiredness, when we talk about burnout, we’re referring to a gradual process that manifests itself over weeks or months. Burnout impacts the productivity and quality of a person’s work, and causes frustration, self-criticism and a negative impact on self-esteem. This can be reflected in the organizations where they work, with a gradual increase in absences, tardiness, complaints, poor customer service, and even misunderstandings among co-workers.
Another aspect of burnout not often discussed is emotional fatigue. For healthcare providers, it comes from taking care of a person’s health, as this requires exhaustible resources such as patience, empathy, understanding and compassion. When these inner resources are used up, cold and indifferent attitudes develop as an unconscious effort to preserve inner balance.
The leaders of institutions that provide healthcare services are in advantageous positions to contribute to the well-being of their employees, fostering an environment of support and understanding in the face of burnout. Some recommendations for achieving this include:
Along with active listening to identify the true needs of the clinical care team, these strategies will result in benefits for healthcare professionals, the institution, the quality of services they offer, and in turn the patient experience.
Recognizing the importance of the support organizations require to manage the health and wellness aspects of their employees, our group clients have the Bienestar Corporativo program as part of their added benefits. This program is aimed at our clients in the commercial line of business and offer training and tools to the organization’s leaders to achieve more efficient, productive, and healthy work teams, which in turn help companies reach their goals. To learn more about the benefits of the Bienestar Corporativo program, you can write to mcswellness@medicalcardsystem.com.
References
