Central PA Medicine - February 2017 - 13

daup h i n c m s .o rg

It is no surprise
that about 50%
of physicians are
suffering burnout.
errors, and suicidal ideation. Even in less extreme situations,
burnout's association with lower job satisfaction has ripple
effects on the morale of the entire clinic. With few exceptions,
no physician is an island that burnout cannot reach.
The Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) represents and
advocates for physicians on many levels. As part of its educational
programs offered to members, there are three programs, adding
up to four hours of CME, that help physicians identify burnout,
develop resilience strategies, and intervene on behalf of their
colleagues2. For most of us, this is not something we learned
about in medical school. Just like other medical problems we
learn about, there are evidence-based interventions that can
be helpful, both on the individual level (small group curricula,
stress management and self-care training, communication skills
training, mindfulness-based approaches), and the institutional
level (modification of work processes, shortening of work shifts).
The average benefit of these interventions reduces the relative risk
of developing burnout by about 10%. Sometimes, we need more
than CME to address a problem. The Foundation of PAMED,
which has a long-standing commitment to helping physicians in
need, recently led a successful "Resiliency Retreat" in November.
Stayed tuned for further retreats in the future.
When one considers the potential impact of avoiding a "crash
and burn" experience, all of us need to be more proactive with
physician burnout. I would encourage everyone to learn more.
And remember, PAMED is here to help!
Dr. Mackley is a Radiation Oncologist at the Penn State Cancer
Institute and 5th District Trustee for PAMED, representing physicians of this county.

ENDNOTES
1 West CP, Dyrbye LN, Erwin PJ, et al. Interventions to
prevent and reduce physician burnout: a systematic review
and meta-analysis. Lancet 2016;388:2272-81.
2 https://www.pamedsoc.org/learn-lead/topics/
physician-burnout

999 West Harrisburg Pike | Middletown, PA 17057
(717)
944-3351
999 West Harrisburg
Pike
| Middletown, PA 17057

944-3351 and Lifelong Learning
A Campus of Wellness,(717)
Rehabilitation
information
about|The
Middletown Home,
999For
West
Harrisburg
Pike
Middletown,
PA 17057
Amore
Campus
of Wellness,
Rehabilitation
check out our new website!
944-3351
and(717)
Lifelong
Learning
www.middletownhome.org
For more
information
about The Middletown
Home, Learning
A Campus
of Wellness,
Rehabilitation
and Lifelong
check out our new website!
For more information about The Middletown Home,
www.middletownhome.org
check out our new website!

www.middletownhome.org
https://www.facebook.com/middletownhome/

https://www.facebook.com/middletownhome/
https://www.facebook.com/middletownhome/
Central PA Medicine February 2017 13

http://www.dauphincms.org http://www.middletownhome.org http://www.middletownhome.org http://www.middletownhome.org https://www.facebook.com/middletownhome/ https://www.pamedsoc.org/learn-lead/topics/ https://www.facebook.com/middletownhome/ https://www.facebook.com/middletownhome/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Central PA Medicine - February 2017