Burnout among primary care physicians is "a symptom" of a bigger issue: the need for sustainable careers, wrote Timothy Hoff, PhD, for Harvard Business Review Sept. 13.
Dr. Hoff is a professor of management, healthcare systems and health policy at Boston-based Northeastern University and an associate fellow at Green-Templeton College, University of Oxford. He said that healthcare organizations are key to addressing the burnout faced by primary care physicians, yet few have embraced their role until recently.
Here are Dr. Hoff's four suggestions for healthcare employers to facilitate the building of sustainable careers for primary care physicians:
- Hire primary care physicians for fit.
- Emphasize work-life balance in every job and workplace.
- Promote professional development.
- Allow primary care physicians to develop their team.