How MedTech Professionals Can Help Combat Physician Burnout

Burnout is a risk for every worker. Long days, high stakes, and seemingly relentless pressure can take their toll on even the most well-adjusted person. For healthcare providers, though, the risk of burnout is especially acute.
 
Every day, physicians find themselves facing some of life’s most stressful situations, from illnesses and injuries to births and deaths. Indeed, stress seems to be a part of the job description.
 
However, it isn’t only in the work itself that physicians may experience intense, sometimes debilitating, pressure. The long-standing shortage of healthcare providers combined with the devastating aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic means that doctors are often stretched far beyond their limits.
 
Fortunately, there is hope on the horizon in the form of technology. Indeed, MedTech professionals can play a powerful role in combating physician burnout, even in these challenging times. This article explores how MedTech specialists can help healthcare providers reduce their risk.

Streamlining Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

One of the most challenging aspects of healthcare lies in the diagnostic and treatment planning process. Accurately diagnosing a patient can be a laborious and time-consuming process, requiring batteries of laboratory tests, an array of medical images, and extensive research both into the patient’s health history and the current medical literature.
 
MedTech, however, can help to expedite the diagnostic process and facilitate treatment planning in a variety of important ways. For example, at-home wearable health devices can help patients track their vital signs and other essential health data. This enables healthcare providers to get a far more comprehensive and more accurate picture of the patient’s health status outside of the stressful environment of the clinic.
 
In addition, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are proving instrumental in both diagnosis and treatment planning. AI systems are increasingly being used to “read” medical images. This can significantly increase the speed and accuracy with which x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans are read.
 
Likewise, through machine learning, AI can greatly enhance treatment planning. Specifically, AI technologies can tap into literally billions of data points to design treatment plans that are at once evidence-based, data-driven, and highly personalized.
 
What this means is that medical technologies can substantially decrease the burden on physicians by making diagnosis and treatment planning far more efficient and effective than was previously possible.

The Role of Telehealth and Electronic Medical Records (EMR)

In addition to the myriad benefits derived from AI, Big Data, and continuous remote patient monitoring, medical technologies are also helping prevent physician burnout by increasing the efficiency of clinical care through telehealth.
 
For example, the ascendancy of telemedicine, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, has enabled physicians to provide highly effective care, often in less time required than a traditional face-to-face visit.
 
Further, digitalization gives physicians the ability to securely and instantaneously send and receive the patient’s electronic medical records (EMR) online. This means that physicians no longer have to wait for the patient’s records to be sent by mail or courier, nor do they need to repeat tests.
 
All of these attributes help to streamline the caregiving process by eliminating redundancies and increasing immediate access to the most relevant information. As a result, physicians can spend less time at work doing patient research or completing paperwork and spend more time with friends and family.
 
This downtime is essential for healthcare providers who wish to avoid burnout. Indeed, while a healthy work/life balance is beneficial for every worker, no matter the industry, for physicians, this balance is imperative. Without the opportunity to rest, recharge, and practice self-care, physicians are at significantly greater risk for physical and mental illness and, consequently, for burnout.

Supporting MedTech Utilization

As has been shown, medical technology can play a profound role in reducing the burdens that physicians face. This can substantially reduce their risk of burnout, even in the face of rapidly increasing patient demand, decreasing budgets, and a worsening physician shortage.
 
Nevertheless, medical technology is not, in itself, a panacea. To reap the benefits of med-tech, physicians must have the right kind of technology, as well as the ability to use it effectively. Indeed, if the technology is not exactly suited to the physician’s clinical needs, or if the systems are too complicated for practitioners to use easily and efficiently, then med-tech may actually increase physicians’ risk of burnout rather than decrease it.
 
This, indeed, is where the role of the technologist is most apparent. From technology design to implementation and support, med-tech professionals are instrumental in helping clinicians understand their unique technology needs and in learning how to use their new and existing systems effectively.

The Takeaway

The practice of medicine is at once intensely rewarding and intensely demanding. In the wake of a global pandemic and the reality of a long-standing physician shortage, however, doctors face a greater professional burden than perhaps ever before, putting them at significant risk of burnout. The good news is that medical technology can be highly effective in helping reduce the risk of physician burnout. Through technology design and support, med-tech professionals are key to supporting the success and well-being of healthcare providers, including helping them to mitigate their burnout risk.
 

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Adrian Johansen uses her experience in the healthcare technology industry to provide straightforward information to the public. You can find more of her writing on contently.