Clinician burnout definition is a response to occupational stress that causes emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of reduced accomplishment. It leads to fatigue, poor concentration, shame from difficulty coping with a situation, poor communication and depleted empathy and objectivity.
Clinician Burnout:
- Threatens client safety
- Impacts clinician wellbeing
- Leads to poor-quality patient care
Preventing clinician burnout is essential to providing effective eating disorder care (EDC).
Compassion Fatigue
Compassion fatigue is a form of clinician burnout that occurs internally when you are dealing with secondary stress. It includes the disengagement and loss of empathy towards patients. Compassion fatigue commonly occurs with repeated exposure to overwhelming stressors and trauma. This can lead to clinicians feeling distressed with their job. Experiencing compassion fatigue negatively impacts a clinician’s ability to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.
Emotional Signs of Compassion Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Oversensitivity
- Constantly feeling tired
- Feeling sad and hopeless
- Anger
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Isolating oneself
Increased Risk in Eating Disorder Care
Clinicians working in EDC are at a higher risk for developing compassion fatigue as they need immense compassion to do their jobs effectively. In addition, patients with EDs can be resistive and challenging to treat, which is also a risk factor for compassion fatigue. Because of the difficulty in treating EDs, clinicians working in this area are highly susceptible to increased worrying, stress and frustration.
Interventions in EDC do not always lead to positive outcomes, which can be draining for clinicians. This can lead to feelings of helplessness and guilt which also risk factors for experiencing compassion fatigue. Research has shown that many patients with EDs experience interpersonal conflicts and low social support due to abuse, neglect and bullying. Clinicians exposed to these situations may experience higher levels of anxiety, which may increase their vulnerability to compassion fatigue. Implementing prevention strategies is essential for providing effective patient-centred care.
Strategies to Prevent Clinician Burnout
- Practicing mindfulness
- Having a strong support system
- Separating self from work and setting boundaries
- Engaging in self-care activities
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is “the awareness that emerges through paying attention, on purpose, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding experience moment by moment” (Malik & Annabi, 2022). It helps to prevent clinician burnout by reducing susceptibility to emotional distress and promoting mental stability through self-reflection. Research has shown that clinicians who practice mindfulness are more effective listeners and respond with more empathy towards patients.
Mindfulness Activities to Try:
- Meditation
- Following your breathing
- Gratitude journal
- Observation
- Listening to the world around you
- Introspection – evaluate your emotions
- Practicing stillness
- Setting goals for the day
Support System
Creating an effective support system involves surrounding yourself with positive people in a positive environment. Your support system may include friends, family, or colleagues. Discussing stressful situations with these individuals in a non-judgemental space can help to reduce burnout and compassion fatigue by helping one feel acknowledged and appreciated.
Involving your support system can increase autonomy, allow you to gain social support and connect better with others. The first step to implementing this strategy is creating a list of people or groups to provide you with a safe space. The list should include active listeners who are compassionate and non-judgmental. A critical component of implementing a strong support system is avoiding negative friends or individuals who deplete your energy. Implementing a strong support system should include both personal and professional support. However, at the same time, it is important to separate yourself from work to prevent clinician burnout.
Strategies to Set Boundaries Include:
- Ensuring you are thinking “about” the patient and not “with the patient” (in other words, you are helping the patient and not living their life with them)
- Avoiding calls to patients after hours, giving out your personal phone number or participating in after-work activities with patients
Strategies to Separate Yourself From Work Include:
- Avoiding bringing work home
- Reminding yourself that tomorrow is a new day
- Taking days off work when possible
- Changing assignments to help relieve stress
Practicing Self-Care
Implementing self-care activities into your daily routine has been shown to help prevent clinician burnout symptoms and compassion fatigue. Research indicates that clinicians must take care of themselves before they can care for others. Examples of self-care strategies include:
- Taking mental time-outs where you breathe, relax and monitor the state of your body. Even for a few seconds, this can be beneficial.
- Inforporating a healthy work-life balance
- Participating in journaling, meditation, mindfulness and self-reflecting
- Focusing on positive self-talk
- Finding activities you enjoy that can help relieve stress. For example:
- Going for a walk
- Spending time with family or friends
- Reading a book
- Moving your body/exercising
Clinician burnout results from occupational distress and causes emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of reduced accomplishment. It threatens client safety, impacts clinician well-being, and leads to poor-quality patient care.
Our Eating Disorder Care for Health Care Providers course has a unit that explores clinician burnout and provides recommendations on how to mitigate it. Join us today!
