For years, burnout, depression and various mental health issues have become more prevalent among health care professionals. The ongoing pandemic has only exacerbated these concerns. In fact, Medscape’s Physician Burnout & Depression Report 2022 reveals that 47% of physicians say they are burned out, up from 42% last year. While many organizations and experts are working to develop and deploy resources and programs geared toward preventing and mitigating burnout, there is more work to be done.
For the Coalition for Physician Well-Being, in particular, this was top-of-mind at its recent annual conference in Denver. Called the Joy & Wholeness Summit, the conference brought together nearly 200 clinicians of various specialties and physician wellness advocates from across the country to connect, collaborate and share best practices with the goal of improving the overall well-being and quality of life for physicians.
“This is a critical time in the health care industry and the conference was a great venue for like-minded, solution-focused advocates to convene,” said Ted Hamilton, MD, chief mission integration officer for AdventHealth and board chairman for the Coalition for Physician Well-Being. “I am thankful for the contributions of our speakers and attendees, and I believe many came away inspired and re-energized to continue this important work that will ultimately foster healthier, happier physicians.”
Attendees representing dozens of organizations heard insights from thought leaders and leading experts including Tait Shanafelt, MD, and Al’ai Alvarez, MD, of Stanford University; Omayra Mansfield, MD, of AdventHealth; and coach/consultant Paul DeChant, MD, as part of an agenda that covered important topics like mental health, issues impacting women physicians, physician leadership and graduate medical education.
The Coalition for Physician Well-Being is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt association of dozens of health care systems, hospitals and professional organizations, represented by hundreds of individual members whose goal is to learn together and build robust, sustainable programs to foster and promote physician well-being.
Registration for the 2023 Joy & Wholeness Summit, which will be held July 10-12 at the Grand Summit Resort in Park City, Utah, has already begun. Those who wish to take advantage of early registration can do so here.
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