The global health emergency has presented unprecedented challenges for the frontline healthcare workers—shining a light on the vulnerabilities in the healthcare landscape, one of which is Physician mental health, demanding attention amongst all the chaos around the current scenario. Physician burnout is a public health crisis by itself, requiring immediate action, which could otherwise result in long-term negative effects on clinicians and patients alike—severely impacting the overall healthcare outcomes.

Consider that over fifty percent of Physicians are reported to experience troubling symptoms including depression, sense of failure, compromised sense of engagement, effectiveness and health outcomes as a whole.

Major Physician stress factors include—financial concerns for Practice, family health, lack of adequate PPE, inability to take care of patients in the way they would like to, feelings of helplessness among many other factors, which need immediate attention before they further erode Physicians’ mental health.

Major Contributory Factors for Physician Burnout

Digital Healthcare Programs to Address Psychological Issues

Healthcare leaders across the globe have been overwhelmed with new responsibilities— that mental health programs for care providers may have taken a backseat. However, the growing rate of Physician burnout and other psychological health concerns foster the healthcare sector to take a more comprehensive approach to wellness programs.

There have been considerable recent innovations in mental health and among other industries like banking & financial services, technology and other sectors that have been impacted by an exposure to trauma. Healthcare leaders can consider evaluating the effects of these programs and if they can be effective in the healthcare space.

The healthcare system needs to integrate sustainable strategies by implementing comprehensive digital frameworks that address Physician mental health. Hospitals and Medical Practices can design holistic wellness programs as part of continuous education and training—by establishing new structures that provide maximum support in the healthcare space.

Embracing Digital to Prevent Burnout and Build Resilience

Hospitals and Medical Practices are increasingly adopting digital for patient education and engagement. Healthcare organizations can consider leveraging these digital capabilities to support Physicians via engaging video, audio, infographics and other creative formats of education materials to support healthcare frontline workers in developing a resilient mindset. Mental health programs could also be introduced at an earlier stage within the curriculum and counseling—making psychological wellbeing a part of life.

Making a Significant Difference through Wellness Strategies

Healthcare organizations can create a transformative impact by designing customized and personalized wellness strategies—seamlessly integrated into the Physician’s care management platform. These personalized recommendations could include wellness survey materials and self-testing resources that can be of tremendous value to the healthcare leaders including the C-Suite executives like the Chief Wellness Officers (CWO).

Digital technologies like wearables, Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), IoT-powered devices could also be used to track and monitor critical data—for instance, the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers. These massive volumes of data can be streamlined and harnessed to suggest resiliency building and stress management materials in video, gaming, interactive surveys and various other engaging formats.

While, the above strategies can help mitigate the impact of Physician burnout and other mental health concerns of healthcare professionals, it’s critical that organizations understand the significance of making psychological wellbeing a part of the organizational culture. Hospitals and Practices need to have a blended approach by integrating industry best practices, profound healthcare expertise, proven digital transformation strategies, and innovative technologies—to holistically transform and simplify healthcare experiences for Physicians and other key stakeholders.

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