Resolving Physician’s Stress for Good — P3 Investigates
P3care Solutions has its finger on the pulse of healthcare, at least that’s what we intend to achieve. The topic that we chose to write about today has some interesting yet solid statistics of doctors and their time spent on EHRs per patient. It will, in the end, give us a clearer picture of what lies ahead, and maybe lead us to a solution to this burnout epidemic.
Thanks to Becker’s Hospital Review for publishing this news recently as it discusses the average time of physicians spent on EHRs per patient. The study deduced results from Cerner’s analytics across 100 million patient records with 155,000 physicians from nonsurgical specialties.
EHR Study Found Out…
On average a doctor spends 16 minutes and 14 seconds per patient on an EHR. One-third of this time is consumed on reviewing charts, 24 and 16 percent on documentation and ordering respectively. Moreover, these doctors are using up time on weekends and weekdays between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
To accomplish MACRA and MIPS, they have to show meaningful use of EHRs. MIPS 2019 reporting could be less of a burden if you hire HIT professionals to do it.
The same news further explored that primary care physicians spend the most time on EHRs per patient — 20 minutes on average. However, experts don’t know for sure how much of that time attributes to the quantity of time and how much on quality because only then we will know the exact time used on irrelevant tasks leading to burnout.
Primary Care — Guilt Could Drive Optimized Care
When we miss some of our deadlines, it is natural to feel guilty about it. Most doctors like every human have to-do lists. A recent article published by the Harvard Business Review discusses that tasks that are pending in our to-do lists result in developing a feeling of guilt and shame.
There is nothing wrong with both these feelings, but the fundamental question is that, would it help to feel guilty or ashamed? That’s the real question.
Feelings of guilt can inspire a person to do certain things. For example, a person who feels guilty has a greater tendency to cooperate. Guilt can also motivate people to complete tasks that have come to a halt.
In the case of physicians and healthcare professionals in general, the guilt of pending tasks can motivate them to care more for the patients.
However, if the feelings of guilt and shame persist for long, and you are unable to do anything about it, they could be counterproductive and can lead to pain. They will make your job worse as a clinician.
To blow away feelings of guilt and shame for good, the following five ways improve the whole outlook.
1. Exercise Self-Love.
Being kind to yourself and forgiving yourself now and then are strong countermeasures we can take to alleviate the negative consequences of shame. Imagine yourself as another person advising someone else with negative thoughts to focus on self-compassion and stay in the moment. Lingering on those feelings can make things uncertain and bleak. Pat yourself on the back and give yourself a break. That’s probably the same thing you would do to that person in distress.
2. Focus on Your Achievements
As healthcare professionals, we are sure you have a list of accomplishments to focus on. The gap between what you have achieved and what you want to achieve creates a sense of dissatisfaction. That energy can be a driving factor, but when you are unable to progress, focusing on your current achievements can create a sense of pride in you.
3. Acceptance of Present
Whether or not you can achieve your personal or professional goals, accepting your current situation will calm you down, period. Besides acceptance of your present condition is one of the outcomes of mindfulness, a term we often relate to modern stress management.
As a doctor, if you are not able to care for enough patients, the first step to get out of the confusion cloud is to be aware of it and accept it. Acceptance of your current condition helps you overcome feelings of guilt. Remember failing to get the work done doesn’t make you a bad person. It just makes you human like the rest.
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