Perfectionism Will Kill Your Medical Practice Before You Know It: This Is Why!
Dr. Adam Tabriz
“Founder @ PX6 Medical Systems | Innovating Cyber-Physical Healthcare Solutions | Transforming Patient Care & Management”
All Independent Physicians Need is to Take The Healthcare Leadership, Not to Be Followers, and Be Perfect
Illumination Publication Initially Publicized this article on Medium!
Mark Twain, the 19th Century American Authur once said:
“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”
The circumstances or quality of being perfect at all times is a notion used to make someone or something stand out. Being perfect is almost on every human being's wishlist, even though some may not act on being perfectionists. Yet, unfortunate or not, some traits by nature do, indeed, strive to be perfect.
In our intermingled society, the inherent desire to be perfect or believe in perfectionism through the belief that perfection is achievable often stands as possible. And those who do, justify their perspective under the rhetorical slip of "Healthy Perfectionism."
But, the problem always ensues when we equate perfection to the "Ultimate Best." That is why, for clarification, once we talk about reaching excellence, that should never imply perfection. Mere because humans, including physicians, can and do make mistakes. And since perfectionism is a subjective phenomenon, it can lead to a sense of shame and guilt. It also induces a vicious circle of overdoing and responsibility, thus negative consequences, like burnout or even suicide.
On the other hand, excellence is an objective yet relative prodigy that sets one individual apart based on circumstances.
Physicians; The Culture of Perfectionists
Amongst many social groups and professional profiles, physicians comprise those classes of individuals who, by attribute, are known to be perfectionists. That means that for many physicians, it is harder to dissociate that subjective feeling of avoiding humiliation among patients and peers is very strong. That trait has, at least in part, contributed to the well-known physician lifestyle; the disharmonious work-life balance.
Physicians generally tend to believe that making mistakes have grave consequences without looking into it via a realistic perspective that not every mistake is life-threatening. And all they need to do to counter preventable errors is know when to ask for help and collaborate.
Perfectionist physicians need the insight to find that middle ground, therefore, setting realistic expectations for themselves and their patients.
Well-recognized fact is that physicians wear the "illusive" badge of honor by working hard and being diligent and independent thinkers.
Some see the culture of perfectionism by the physicians as toxic, and fighting that culture may mark the start of reducing medical errors as well.
Some call physician perfectionism a disease. However, physicians' attitude towards their profession is the upshot of a much bigger problem. It is the symptom of a much more extensive disease. Malignant disorders that taken up every aspect of the healthcare system today. That incorporates a "pseudo-military" style medical education culture filled with the enormous stigma around letdown. Other factors include arm-twisting healthcare policies, the influence of non-medical players in the healthcare industry, and the lack of user-friendly technologies.
领英推荐
Physician Attitude, The Vicious Circle of Perfection, Administrative Burden, and Burnout
Physician administrative burden and burnout is a problems of the pandemic proportion affecting the healthcare system in the United States and Many Developed countries around the globe.
According to a recent report published by American Medical Association (AMA), between December 9, 2021, and January 24, 2022, almost 63% of physicians in the Mayo Clinic, Stanford University School of Medicine, and the University of Colorado School of Medicine experienced at least one instance of burnout. And the administrative burden is among the top causes of physician burnout.
The vicious circle of perfectionism, psychologically serving to stay on top of every task, and "Scope Creep" neither helping physicians nor their patients. It is contributing to more medical errors, stigma, and Defensive Medicine on behalf of physicians.
The perfectionist causal nexus ultimately translate increase resource usage, higher healthcare costs, and inefficiency in medical care delivery.
Physicians are Perfectionist Followers, Though They should be Realistic Leaders.
Today, physicians are forced to take up more tasks through scope Creep dictated to them by the 3rd party payers and regulatory agencies.
Even though physicians are given the title of leaders and self-perpetuated individuals, nonetheless, they are no more than “contextualized followers.”
Followership is one of the recent buzzwords I have encountered while reading various publications.
The definition of "Followership" is still in its infancy, thus, vague. However, some define the concept as someone we represent as one able to recognize team members' shared purpose and interdependence, think independently and critically, and show courage and support to their team members when they encounter challenging leadership decisions.
Physician leadership is a central player in the medical team in partnership with the patient. In other words, in a collaborative environment, every player contributes independently based on the needs produced due to doctor-patient encounters. And such a collaborative milieu must, indeed, allow transparency, accountability, and flexibility. Only then should one expect healthy execution of shared mission and collaboration, independent judgment, and criticality. Physicians can only then show fearlessness toward reaching "Excellence" and not necessarily perfection, support their "peer collaborators," and get help.
Breaking The Causal Nexus of Physician Perfectionism, Administrative Burden, and Burnout Starts With Ownership.
True, physician burnout is the product of a broken health system. But mending that system starts with physicians practicing independence and owning their business operations. That includes establishing and participating in free healthcare market enterprise and eliminating intermediaries.
After taking charge, the second rule of evading burnout is to cache the perfection attitude and embrace reality-driven healthcare leadership. Within that charge, leading healthcare incorporates owning the health technology domain from design and user experience to validation and operations.
Eliminating perfectionism from physicians' professional lives and constructing the perspective of excellence demands an "Agile" approach. Offering them modern instruments like Telehealth, and Electronic Health Records (EHR) alone, especially without their participation, risks paradoxical outcomes.
"Perfection is the enemy of good when the realistic expectation is the driver of the excellence for which we unconsciously thrive."
References