Evaluation of Institutional Job Demands-Resources and a Novel Mindfulness Tool on Burnout Intensity in a Cross-sectional Cohort of Colorado Health Care Practitioners

Detailed Summary

: The problem of physician burnout has been well documented. As health care providers (HCP) encounter the demands and resources of a rapidly changing health care system, navigate their place and performance within it, deal with the demands of an internet informed patient populace and balance daily work load with family life, stressors arise. These stressors can contribute to burnout and this burnout has both interpersonal and health care system wide effects. Studies have shown that HCP burnout has personal physiologic consequences and predicts external objective associations with health care acquired infection rates, medical errors, medical litigation, patient satisfaction, job satisfaction, health care system costs, alcohol abuse and suicidal ideation, among others. As our population ages and its medical co-morbidities and system demands increase, the premature curtailing, cessation or turnover of an HCP's clinical practice due to emotional exhaustion is a concerning trend. While studies have shown that HCP's are no more prone to burnout then other professionals, a growing body of literature has shown that an intentional focus on institutional processes that nurture clinician well-being through multiple modalities is both important and effective. Additionally, insights into the role that forgiveness plays in personal well-being prompts our presentation of a novel mindfulness tool that focuses on improving clinician well-being through self-help exercises in meditation and forgiveness. In light of recent studies that have cautioned against the tendency to dichotomize and/or pathologize peoples' responses to their work environment, we will use the JD-R (Job demands-resources model) and the CBI (Copenhagen burnout inventory) to quantify these processes and responses. These factors have prompted us to present a unique study design a) to evaluate the wellness process affecters inside the culture of a regional health care center and b) to evaluate the effectiveness of a personal mindfulness intervention which aims at spectrum based burnout quantification and facilitated self-help, with an eye on both for institution wide application.

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