Calling, Compassionate Self, and Cultural Norms in Medicine

Abstract

Physicians start their careers with better than average mental health indices. During their careers, however, physicians have higher than average work-specific distress indicated by burnout and higher associated suicide risk. Factors of medical training and practice culture that contribute to physician burnout include (1) a work ethos that demands deferral of self-care to care for patients and (2) a shame-and-blame response to errors. Both of these factors are addressable via an individual and organizational compassionate self-improvement mind-set. Specifically, addressing these cultural contributors to burnout requires understanding the clinical performance benefits of (1) self-care and (2) focus on compassionate learning to mitigate future suffering rather than a shame-and-blame response to errors. Cognitive therapy methods are effective for physicians interested in cultivating a compassionate self-improvement mind-set. A compassionate organizational improvement mind-set that supports provider well-being is consistent with sound quality-improvement principles that acknowledge “to err is human.” Quality and safety of health care will improve, along with health-care providers’ well-being, as health-care providers become intrinsic beneficiaries of systems intended to prevent and alleviate suffering.