Tackling your toughest challenges

As clinicians, you are faced with the challenges that plague healthcare daily. Nearly half your day is spent on administrative work and only about a quarter of the workday is free to see patients. Even in the exam room, physicians report spending approximately 50% of that time in direct face-to-face time with patients and nearly 40% on the computer entering or retrieving data. 1 It’s not hard to understand why you are feeling burned out.

With 42% of physicians experiencing burnout, we’re unlikely to see much movement on the shortage of physicians, with the Association of American Medical Colleges projecting a short-fall of nearly 122,000 physicians in the US by 2032.2 And of course, as the physician shortage increases, so does the pressure on those who remain, exacerbating the burnout problem.

All of this has a direct impact on the patient’s experience, as stressed, overworked clinicians can often be (or appear to be) rushed and distracted. That can lead to errors with potentially catastrophic consequences, but it also erodes the relationship of trust between physicians and patients who feel they’re not being listened to or treated as individuals. Once the patient-physician relationship begins to break down, disillusioned patients are less likely to engage with their care, adhere to care plans,
and follow preventive healthcare advice—increasing the likelihood of adverse outcomes.