The book by OEH professor Joseph Allen, PhD, provides insight for physicians about the causes of burnout and possible solutions.
Press Release from DFPM partner, the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational & Environmental Health:
For all of its perks, being a physician is also immensely stressful. Long hours under intense conditions. The weight of being responsible for patients’ health and well-being. Reams of paperwork piling up on the desk.
Throw in a pandemic that strained the health care system and its workers to their limits and it’s easy to understand why physicians are suffering from burnout at alarming rates.
What’s harder is fixing the problem. That’s where Dr. Joseph Allen, PhD, a University of Utah psychologist and professor, comes in. His book “The Burned Out Physician: Managing the Stress and Reducing the Errors,” co-written with Davidson psychology professor John E. Kello, examines the issue, provides insight for physicians about what they’re experiencing and delves into solutions.
The book, published by Cambridge University Press, will be released July 21 and will be available at most major book retailers.
“Burnout among physicians can’t simply be fixed by making them more resilient,” Dr. Allen says. “We need to change the way they are expected to work. We need to change the way our hospitals operate. We need to change how our society approaches health and well-being.”
“The Burned Out Physician” helps doctors and other health care professionals recognize the signs of burnout with a checklist of symptoms and provides strategies for alleviating the problem. But the issue is not something that only affects physicians. It matters to anyone who interacts with the health care system -- and that's pretty much everyone. The book acknowledges this and is also meant to serve as a guide for patients, helping them understand what their doctors are confronting and what it means for their care.
“This book is a labor of love,” Dr. Allen says. “We love our doctors. They take care of us. But, they are burning out and quitting the profession in droves. This book gives answers to what patients, the physicians themselves, managers, organizations, and societies can do to solve the burnout problem.”
Copies of “The Burned Out Physician” are available for review upon request.