The Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists

Category: Wellness Series

Physician Wellness During a Pandemic
by Riaz M. Karukappadath, MD

COVID-19 has caused immense stress on physicians. Anesthesiologists and critical care physicians have been at the forefront of pandemic response, whether caring for critically ill patients or facilitating surgical procedures amidst significant uncertainty. Health care providers are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues amidst risk of exposure, longer work hours, shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), challenging resource allocation decisions, stress of caring for their loved ones, threatened financial and job security, and an overall decrease in social interactions.

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How to Be a Good Patient
by Jordan Brand, MD

Sooner or later, many of us will be faced with an unpleasant reality: a major health problem requiring medical care. Often, this may entail surgery or critical care. In theory, physicians should be well-prepared for this eventuality. After all, we have a great deal of first-hand knowledge about the perioperative environment and should be comfortable negotiating difficult or uncomfortable situations. Why then do we feel so much stress when these problems hit close to home?

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Work-Life Balance: Squeezing Water from a Stone
by Jordan Brand, MD

While there is some disagreement about the details, many observers of the medical profession believe that we are sailing into the teeth of an intensivist shortage, especially with an aging population that has a greater expectation for complex care late in life. The severity of this shortage is hard to assess, as conclusions have varied widely depending on the methodology used.

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Navigating the Catastrophe: Mindfulness Is a Tool That Could Bring Us Closer to Happiness…A Personal Perspective
by Jordan Brand, MD

Burnout, as defined by a loss of enthusiasm for one’s work, a decline in work satisfaction, and an increase in emotional detachment and cynicism, is a growing concern in medicine. In Medscape’s National Physician Burnout and Depression Report 2018, a survey of over 15,000 physicians, 42% of all respondents reported feeling burned out, including 48% of intensivists (the highest rate among all specialties).

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Sometimes, It’s About the Journey, Not the Destination
by Jordan Brand, M.D.

The medical field has finally begun to recognize the impact of job satisfaction and burnout. While much attention has been paid to how changes in the work environment affect this state of affairs, less thought has been given to how variables outside the hospital or clinic could impact physician well-being. This is particularly relevant to critical care medicine: in Medscape’s 2018 Physician Lifestyle Report, which polled over 15,000 physicians across 29 specialties, a whopping 48% of critical care physicians reported feeling burned out.

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