Working in the medical field is not easy. Long days are filled with helping people who are sick and probably not in the best of moods. Our nurses and doctors obviously want to help people, but who’s helping them?

Medscape found in its 2015 Physician Lifestyle report that 46% of all responding physicians identified being burnt out, which was a 6% increase from 2013. This burnout is causing a crisis in our hospitals.

Startling statistics

• Male doctors are more than twice as likely, and female doctors three times as likely as the general public to commit suicide.
• Approximately 400 doctors commit suicide each year.
• 18% of surveyed nurses reported depression, when the national average for reported depression is only 8%.
• “Hospitals in which burnout was reduced by 30% had a total of 6,239 fewer infections, for an annual cost saving of up to $68 million.”

Burnout Syndrome

I first discovered this serious issue in 2011 when I helped a student create a persuasive speech on the subject. Unfortunately, it seems that the trend of physician burnout and suicide has only increased since then.

Burnout has been defined as, “a syndrome of emotional exhaustion and cynicism that occurs frequently among individuals who do ‘people-work’….” Its symptoms include:

• Increased emotional exhaustion
• Increased states of unfeeling, which lead to less personal interactions with others
• Lack of perceived accomplishment

This article from the Daily Beast provides a great summary of the possible how’s and why’s to this epidemic, but what I would like to focus on here is how we as patients can help.

How Patients Can Help? Send a Thank You Note

As patients, we do not have the power to reduce work hours or patient loads. We cannot help doctors with the massive amounts of insurance paperwork that must be filled out daily. But, what we can do is be sure our doctors know that we appreciate them.

I was at my primary care physician’s office a couple weeks ago, and noticed that on the wall he had a print out from a patient. It was a list of quality characteristics based on the letters of his name, so for example, ‘A’ became “Alert mind and uncanny intuition.” The thing that saddened me was that this sheet of paper, which was carefully sealed in a plastic cover, was dated 2008. Is it possible that this was the last time he received a kind note from a patient?? Perhaps this is why family physicians have reported some of the lowest happiness scores; they don’t feel appreciated.

When you go to an OB/GYN office, the halls and offices are filled with birth announcements and thank you cards from grateful new parents, but most doctors do not see this high volume of patient gratitude.

So, my simple suggestion to help fight doctor burnout and suicide is to write them a thank you note after your visit.

Sending a Thank You Note

Sending a ‘thank you’ either through email or a traditional card can help battle burnout by making your doctor feel more connected to you, which can increase their sense of personal interactions. Also, by mentioning how they helped you in the note, you can help increase their sense of accomplishment.

While I love bringing you scientifically validated research, this idea is mine, and as such, I cannot guarantee this will automatically fix this serious issue, but if we go back to making the doctor-patient relationship an actual relationship, then perhaps doctors won’t be the only ones saving lives.

Action Steps

• Get the names of each medical specialist you work with (e.g., nurses, radiologists, physical therapists, emergency room physician, and of course your primary physician).
• Once you are feeling well, make note of at least one thing you appreciated from your appointment and write it in your thank you note.
• Send the card/email. Don’t worry about it being “too late” to do so.
• Repeat after each visit.

Summary

Being a grateful patient has the potential to increase physician happiness, which can then lead to increased caring on both sides of a patient-doctor interaction. So be sure to communicate with your doctor when you’re healthy too, and thank them for helping you get there.