Burnout linked with irregular heartbeat
January 14, 2020
Science Daily/European Society of Cardiology
Feeling excessively tired, devoid of energy, demoralised, and irritable? You may have burnout, a syndrome associated with a potentially deadly heart rhythm disturbance. That's the conclusion of a large study published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
"Vital exhaustion, commonly referred to as burnout syndrome, is typically caused by prolonged and profound stress at work or home," said study author Dr. Parveen K. Garg of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "It differs from depression, which is characterised by low mood, guilt, and poor self-esteem. The results of our study further establish the harm that can be caused in people who suffer from exhaustion that goes unchecked."
Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of heart arrhythmia. It is estimated that 17 million people in Europe and 10 million people in the US will have this condition by next year, increasing their risk for heart attack, stroke, and death. Yet, what causes atrial fibrillation is not fully understood.
Psychological distress has been suggested as a risk factor for atrial fibrillation, but previous studies showed mixed results. In addition, until now, the specific association between vital exhaustion and atrial fibrillation had not been evaluated.
The researchers in this study surveyed more than 11,000 individuals for the presence of vital exhaustion, anger, antidepressant use, and poor social support. They then followed them over a period of nearly 25 years for the development of atrial fibrillation.
Participants with the highest levels of vital exhaustion were at a 20% higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation over the course of follow-up compared to those with little to no evidence of vital exhaustion.
While further study is needed to better understand the observed relationship, Dr. Garg noted that two mechanisms are likely at play. "Vital exhaustion is associated with increased inflammation and heightened activation of the body's physiologic stress response," he said. "When these two things are chronically triggered that can have serious and damaging effects on the heart tissue, which could then eventually lead to the development of this arrhythmia."
No connections were found between anger, antidepressant use, or poor social support and development of atrial fibrillation. "The findings for anger and social support are consistent with prior research but two previous studies did find a significant association between antidepressant use and an increased risk of atrial fibrillation. Clearly, more work still needs to be done," said Dr. Garg.
Further research is also needed to identify concrete actions for doctors to help patients with exhaustion, said Dr. Garg.
He concluded: "It is already known that exhaustion increases one's risk for cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. We now report that it may also increase one's risk for developing atrial fibrillation, a potentially serious cardiac arrhythmia. The importance of avoiding exhaustion through careful attention to -- and management of -- personal stress levels as a way to help preserve overall cardiovascular health cannot be overstated."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200114173108.htm
Consensus report shows burnout prevalent in health care community
October 23, 2019
Science Daily/Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Clinician burnout is affecting between one-third and one-half of all of U.S. nurses and physicians, and 45 to 60% of medical students and residents, according to a National Academy of Medicine (NAM) report released today.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is among 32 institutions and foundations that sponsored the 296-page report, "Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Well-Being," which investigates the causes of widespread clinician burnout and offers solutions to address the problem at its source.
"There's an all too direct connection between clinician burnout and health care safety and quality. While clinician burnout isn't a new problem, its worsening prevalence and impact are due to system factors inherent in the modern health care system," said Matthew Weinger, MD, professor of Anesthesiology and Norman Ty Smith Chair in Patient Safety and Medical Simulation at VUMC, and a member of the NAM authoring committee for the new report.
"The Committee came to realize that addressing clinician burnout will require a deliberate and substantive health care system redesign with a focus on those activities that deliver the most value to patients while enabling and empowering clinicians to deliver high-quality care," he said.
The report discusses key issues that need to be addressed:
· Clinician burnout needs to be tackled early in professional development and special stressors in the learning environment need to be recognized. Leaders in health care and health professions education have a responsibility to foster, monitor and continuously improve work and learning environments.
· While some health care technologies appear to contribute to clinician burnout (poorly designed electronic health record systems, for example), there is real potential for well-designed and implemented technologies to help reduce burnout.
· Federal and state governments, other payors and regulators and the health care industry itself have important roles to play in preventing clinician burnout. Increasing administrative burdens and distracting clinicians from the care of their patients can directly affect burnout.
· Medical societies, state licensing boards, specialty certification boards, medical education and health care organizations all need to take concrete steps to reduce the stigma for clinicians seeking help for psychological distress and make assistance more easily available.
The report concludes with goals and recommendations centered on creating more positive work and learning environments, reducing administrative burden, enabling technology solutions, providing more support to clinicians and learners, and investing in research to address clinician burnout.
The new report is the latest in a series that includes the landmark volumes, "To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System" (2000) and "Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century" (2001).
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191023172121.htm
The power of gratitude in the workplace
March 13, 2019
Science Daily/Portland State University
The study shows that being thanked more often at work predicted better sleep, fewer headaches and healthier eating, because it improved nurses' work satisfaction
If you knew that expressing gratitude to a colleague would improve their life and yours, would you do it more often?
A new study by Portland State University researchers -- business professor David Cadiz, psychology professor Cynthia Mohr, and Alicia Starkey, a recent Ph.D. graduate in psychology -- together with Clemson State University professor Robert Sinclair, exhibits a positive relationship between expressed workplace gratitude, physical health and mental health.
The study, "Gratitude reception and physical health: Examining the mediating role of satisfaction with patient care in a sample of acute care nurses," shows that being thanked more often at work predicted better sleep, fewer headaches and healthier eating, because it improved nurses' work satisfaction.
Improving Self-Care in a Stressful Work Environment
The study involved a group of Oregon nurses, a profession that has a particularly high rate of burnout. Cadiz discusses the findings and how applying the research can have a significant impact on quality of life and job retention by preventing stress-related illnesses and disease.
"Nurses tend to have a thankless job. It's very physical, and they're often being screamed at by patients who are at their lowest. When nurses receive gratitude, it boosts them," Cadiz explains.
"This type of study helps us understand how to keep nurses in the workforce in a healthy way. Nurses strongly align their profession with their identity and often look out for patients more than themselves. The gratitude matches up with their identity, gives them satisfaction in a job well done and ultimately increases self-care."
Many people inherently connect their identity to their job and feelings of appreciation within their roles. Employers who understand and react to this can create positive social and economic change.
Gratitude is Good Business
From an organizational, policy and leadership perspective, Cadiz says that employers should create formal or informal opportunities for people to express gratitude. Including gratitude in a business plan is an essential step that many business leaders miss, and that omission can have financial consequences.
"Employees that receive positive feedback are healthier, and that can impact the bottom line," adds Cadiz. "Preventing headaches and other stress-related symptoms means fewer sick days, and, in this case, cuts down the cost of replacement nurses and overtime pay."
These small changes can have a dramatic fiscal impact over time, which can result in more staff, better pay rates and increased benefits.
The big takeaway -- express gratitude when you see someone doing a good job. A positive feedback loop impacts you and those around you, and can ultimately shape a healthier and happier community.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190313091929.htm
6 Ways to Prevent Burnout in your Career
Guest Contributor: Paige A. Mitchell
Everyone enjoys the weekend and time off from work. But what happens when the stress of going to work and overwhelming feelings of dread related to your job overtake your life? How do you know if you are headed to career burnout or simply experiencing a stressful time? Loss of sleep, having a negative and critical attitudeat work, missing a lot of work, having low interest in your work, feeling empty and feeling that your work doesn’t matteror has meaning – these are all symptoms of burnout.
Two important definitionsof burnout are:
● "A state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by long term involvement in emotionally demanding situations." – Ayala Pines and Elliot Aronson.
● "A state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a cause, way of life, or relationship that failed to produce the expected reward." – Herbert J. Freudenberger.
It’s important to note, there’s a difference between burnout and traditional stress or work exhaustion. While exhaustion can be overcome with rest, a core part of burnout is a deep sense of disillusionment, and it is not experienced by people who can take a more cynical view of their work. What steps can you take to help prevent burnoutin your job and ultimately your career?
1. Make time for self-care, both body and mind
We all know the importance of eating right and exercising. But when in a constant stressful situation, such as a career headed towards burnout, it’s vital to make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Physical symptoms can occur from stress, such as aches and pains, feeling tired, lack of focus, and difficulty sleeping.
A great practice for managing stress is yoga and mindfulness meditation. It is also helpful to learn positive thinking techniques. If you are able to be positive, you can change your perception of challenging situations and manage your emotions.
2. Perform a job analysis
Often when we are tired and stressed out, we feel like we will never catch up. There is always something to be done—another email to send out or another phone call to make. Feeling like this can often lead to burnout.
Try performing a job analysis to see what is actually expected of you and what isn’t. This will help to clear the clutter that may be fogging your judgement, yet aren’t even part of your job. After your job analysis, if you feel your boss is overloading you, schedule a meeting to discuss your work load and see if there is anyone you can delegate tasks to.
3. Take control of your day
Take breaks throughout your day – sitting for long periods of time is bad for you, affecting your physical and mental health. Turn off after hours. Set the expectation with your boss that you are not available 24/7, set guidelines and limitations for emergency situations, and then unplug and disconnect from your work. You will be a better employee because of it. If you feel you are micromanaged talk to your boss about taking more control of your tasks and projects so that you can set the expectations better.
Learn prioritization techniques so that you can manage your time effectively and use To-Do lists to avoid feeling overwhelmed and out of control. Be sure to set these habits into motion in your home life as well. Take control of your tasks at home and be sure to not let home repairssit on the side shelf.
4. Exercise
Start small but start moving your body. Exercise can help alleviate stress and will also increase your energy and productivity. Exercise can help take your mind off work and traditionally leads to a better night of sleep.
5. Communicate
Schedule some time to have regular check-ins with your boss to discuss your concerns about your job. Come up with solutions to present before talking with your boss, just complaining about your situation will frustrate you both. Discuss what is causing your stress but leave the emotion at the door by sticking with the facts and pinpointing specific examples. Is it the schedule, the workload expectations? Have a plan to communicate and discuss what you need to help prevent burnout.
6. Evaluate your options and come up with a plan
Take time to evaluate your current job and if it is the right fit for you. Are you just in a stressful time or have you outgrown your role? Is there a better option out there that better fits your talents and interest? Before making a move discuss your specific concerns with your supervisor. There may be ways you can change expectations or reach a compromise. If not, come up with a plan to move on from your career and focus on options that may be a better fit for you.