Addressing Burnout by Factoring Provider Well-Being into System Performance

By Keith Bricking, MD, MBA, medical staff president, Miami Valley Hospital

I suspect that many providers who work in health care are familiar with the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Triple Aim. The “Triple Aim” was developed in 2007 and described an approach to optimize health system performance. It is believed that organizations and communities will have healthier populations if a system simultaneously improves the patient experience of care (quality and satisfaction), improves the health of populations, and reduces the per capita cost of health care.

At a recent conference, I learned about a recommendation to expand this concept to a “quadruple aim.” The quadruple aim was first written about in late 2014 and is championed by Dr. Thomas Bodenheimer from University of California, San Francisco. The quadruple aim adds the goal of improving the work life of health care providers (including clinicians and staff). With widespread burnout and dissatisfaction, an emphasis on provider well-being has never been more important.  

Dr. Tait Shanafelt from the Mayo Clinic recently published an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, describing the multitude of factors that contribute to burnout. Within that article, he highlighted that a coordinated effort to address burnout at the national and state, organization, leader, and individual levels is needed to overcome and change health care systems’ current trajectory on this issue.

At Miami Valley Hospital, we are actively working to combat burnout on multiple levels. Our Provider Wellness Committee meets monthly and is currently involved in two events for which we invite participation of our colleagues from throughout the health system. At 8:30 am on April 21, we are hosting a Wellness 5k/10k run/walk at Island MetroPark. Proceeds will benefit provider wellness programs. You can register online for the race. Our intentions are to make this as much as a social event for staff, friends, and family as one for fitness. 

Our second event to help combat burnout is scheduled for 6:30-7:30 am and 12:00 pm-1:00 pm on April 25. Dr. Randy Welton, Wright State University associate professor of psychiatry, will deliver an interactive presentation titled “From Burnout to Resilience: Promoting Provider Wellness.” The program is free, but registration is required. To register, email Theresa Cory. 

I am excited about the grassroots effort at Miami Valley Hospital to decrease burnout and improve resiliency within our medical staff. If you are interested in learning more, or would like to participate in our committee, please email me.

Back to the February 2018 issue of Premier Pulse