Toward a Positive Medicine: Healing our Healers, from Burnout to Flourishing

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Penn collection
Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstones
Degree type
Discipline
Subject
Medicine
medical education
REVAMP
positive psychology
Medical Education
Medical Humanities
Mental and Social Health
Funder
Grant number
License
Copyright date
Distributor
Related resources
Contributor
Abstract

It is estimated that between 25-75% of physicians suffer from burnout. Symptoms of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a low sense of personal accomplishment afflict physicians as early as medical school, into residency training, and throughout medical practice, with potential consequences for patient healthcare outcomes, public health, and the costs of our health system. While medical institutions can do more to support physician, trainee, and medical student self-care, physicians cannot wait for institutional change in order to pursue well-being. A construct for physician flourishing is proposed, borrowing from and building off of prior validated constructs of psychological and physical well-being. This proposed model, known as REVAMP, focuses on six elements that comprise physician flourishing. Specific interventions to improve each of these elements are proposed that may be used by the individual practitioner, in formal medical education settings, or by practicing physicians in continuing medical education programs. Waiting to intervene until physicians are burned out and suffering has high costs; proactive approaches such as those suggested within REVAMP can be adopted as early as undergraduate medical school education to help physicians-in-training cultivate optimal wellbeing. Flourishing physicians deliver the highest quality patient care. It is time to help our healers flourish.

Advisor
Date Range for Data Collection (Start Date)
Date Range for Data Collection (End Date)
Digital Object Identifier
Series name and number
Publication date
2016-08-01
Volume number
Issue number
Publisher
Publisher DOI
Journal Issue
Comments
Recommended citation
Collection