These two issues—and risk for burnout specifically—are part of our strategic plan moving forward. We need to find ways to make patient distribution more transparent and make people feel happier about coming to work, partially through quarterly “think tanks,” which we just started this year. Because of the results of this survey and another hospital survey, we created an anonymous internal survey to get more specific information. Through that, I was able to target some very specific issues and to reach out to members of the group to try and resolve them.
This is an ongoing process, and we have to keep working on it. It’s like a marriage; you can’t just sit back and assume a relationship will work out on its own. You have to constantly reassess your partner’s needs and be concerned about their happiness as well as your own. We certainly don’t do a perfect job meeting everyone’s needs, but we strive to do so. Having a tool that is validated and easy to use is extremely beneficial to us, and I will definitely use it again. I’d recommend it to anyone who manages a hospitalist group. TH
Brett Radler is SHM’s communications coordinator.