Is Patient Advocacy the Solution to Physician Burnout?

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Physician burnout has been on the rise over the last several decades in a variety of specialties, leading to high rates of physician suicide and poor health outcomes for patients. As leaders in healthcare attempt to combat this issue through mental health initiatives and changes in medical training policies, we propose patient advocacy as a powerful technique to combat physician burnout and restore autonomy, purpose, and meaning into physicians' lives.</jats:p>

A remedy for discontinuity? Advocating for patient advocacy in undergraduate medical education

“…Learners and physicians experience discordance between the values our profession expresses and the system they inhabit 3,8 . Patient advocacy may offer one antidote to this discordance and the dissatisfaction and burnout it invites 6,7 …”

“…Clinical fragmentation undermines relationships with patients and risks health outcomes and clinician well-being. [3][4][5][6][7] Fragmentation in clinical practice is met with fragmentation in medical education.…”

“…3,8 Patient advocacy may offer one antidote to this discordance and the dissatisfaction and burnout it invites. 6,7 Kahlke et al 1 encourage steps forward; advocacy can be a reparative force, and educators should undertake educational design and assessment that advances this remedy. As learners develop the skills and desire for advocacy, we may better support successful health and health education systems.…”

Improve Patient-Centered Care, Decrease Provider Burnout, Maximize Z Codes, Minimize Hierarchical Condition Category Codes

“…4 Two of the interventions for burnout are teamwork 5 and patient advocacy. 6 Thus, if these 2 separate factors would intersect, the resulting product could be a solution for both, providing the type of health care we are seeking for our populations presently -health care that is patient-centered, equal and equitable, endorsed and advocated by our providers.…”

“…Burnout is caused by a loss of autonomy, professional purpose, and meaning. Jeelani et al 6 stated that patient advocacy prioritizes the doctorpatient relationship again. Z codes furnish the issues and problem areas where physicians can advocate.…”