3 Pillars That Impact Intrinsic Motivation, Clinician Burnout

Two medical professionals cited a study that found three pillars that could decrease clinician burnout in the ever-evolving medical landscape. May 18, 2020 - Enhancing provider autonomy, competence, and relatedness can improve intrinsic motivation and potentially reduce clinician burnout, according to a perspective piece published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

COVID-19 has shined a spotlight on clinician burnout and its massive impact on healthcare professionals in an unprecedented manner.

EHR implementation and the changes in the healthcare system were supposed to make life easier for clinicians across the country. However, the burden that it has caused has not only had a profound impact on clinicians, but it is also costing the healthcare system roughly $4.6 billion per year, according to the entry.

“Initially, the prevailing attitude was that burnout is a physician problem and that those who can’t adapt to the new environment need to get with the program or leave,” wrote article authors Pamela Hartzband, MD, and Jerome Groopman, MD. “Some dismissed the problem as a generation of ‘dinosaur’ doctors whining and pining for an inefficient, low-tech past. But recently, it has become clear that millennials, residents, and even medical students are showing signs of burnout.

Hartzband and Groopman examined a study written by Gagné M and Deci EL, that was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.