Published in:
01-12-2018 | Understanding the Disease
Psychological burnout and critical care medicine: big threat, big opportunity
Published in: Intensive Care Medicine | Issue 12/2018
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While you are likely proud to be a critical care medicine (CCM) practitioner, does work routinely leave you increasingly drained? Do you feel resentful about requests for “futile interventions” and unwilling to absorb others’ anger and grief? Has your job made you feel chronically disconnected, disenchanted and devalued? If so, then—like these two authors and many of your colleagues—you are at risk for burnout syndrome (BOS). Fortunately, this condition need not be terminal. While BOS often waxes and wanes, long-term resilience requires sustained effort at the individual, team and system level. This article aims to spur reflection, and offer putative solutions (Table 1). We also wish to normalize the conversation: BOS does not just affect “wimps”, and can no longer be ignored.
Table 1
Ten BOS questions to facilitate reflection and improvements
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1. How can we normalize conversations about BOS and resilience?
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2. Can you identify team members who are increasingly angry or increasingly withdrawn?
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3. Is there a widespread transparency and inclusiveness within your practice group?
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4. Is your workplace happy or sad, a democracy or dictatorship?
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5. Are the accomplishments of all staff recognized and equally celebrated?
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6. What efforts have been made regarding bullying, harassment, sexism, gossiping and violence?
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7. What efforts have been made to ensure parity—including gender, orientation/identification, race, age, discipline?
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8. What efforts have been made to manage conflicts and burdensome cases?
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9. How is BOS prevented and what resources are in place?
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10. How can I/we/they make my ICU a centre of excellence in wellbeing?
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