Dive Brief:
- A new Vocera survey finds 64% of respondents cited high turnover as the chief symptom of clinician burnout, followed by diminished workplace relationships and lower care quality and patient safety.
- However, 70% said their organizations did a poor or extremely poor job of supporting clinicians and preventing burnout.
- The few organizations actively fighting burnout integrate doctor, nurse and staff well-being into all their strategic decisions, the group says.
Dive Insight:
Vocera’s Experience Innovation Network canvassed more than 150 executives from inpatient and outpatient organizations in the U.S. and Canada. Among the factors contributing to care team burnout were competing projects and increased pressure on facilities to achieve high government and industry scores.
The findings echo other reports that have tied rising burnout rates to time pressures, administrative red tape and EHRs. In the Physicians Foundation’s semiannual survey, released in September, 80% of doctors reported being overextended, 54% cited low morale and 49% said they felt burnt out. Nearly half — 48% — said they plan to retire, reduce their hours or make other changes like moving to nonclinical work or concierge medicine.
“The increase in burnout among physicians, nurses and other healthcare staff has reached a tipping point; and while many leaders agree that it’s a widespread issue that directly affects patient care, only a few visionaries are actually prioritizing the well-being of their teams as a top strategic priority,” Liz Boehm, research director at Vocera, said in a statement.