How burnout can affect your healthcare organization

Editor's note: Patrick Pianezza, MHA, currently works for VEP Healthcare as manager of patient experience, overseeing special projects across VEP's vast networks of emergency departments. Previously, he has worked with the Studer Group and Johns Hopkins. He can be reached at ppianezza@gmail.com.

Burnout drains organizations of their mission and leads to costly and sometimes lethal consequences. Quint Studer, in his new book Healing Physician Burnout, defines burnout as a progressive loss of idealism, energy, and purpose. The good news is that while the problem of burnout may appear bleak, it can be turned around with hard work, solid engagement, and focus.

Although physicians are the focus of Studer's new publication, burnout affects all levels of healthcare in various ways. The most subtle symptom and early warning sign is simply a change in habit. A provider may seem tired at work, or start to dismiss patient concerns as "too much worrying."

This is an excerpt from an article in the monthly training resource Briefings on The Joint Commission. To read more, viisit here to login or subscribe.