Uplifting a decline in hospital culture

#wellness, #medicaleducation, #selfcare, #healthcareleadership

It's frustrating, unsettling and at times plain frightening to observe the incivility and hostility between patients and workers, as well as between workers and associates. We're losing our humanity to ourselves and to each other.

Most everyone’s stressed and pushed to their limits. Not enough support and time to care for patients. Not enough time to care for one another, or for ourselves. Over and over again we hear; “This is not why I got into medicine". Peers and associates taking early retirement. Others are approaching or experiencing burn-out, and in the extreme, some have taken their lives.

Below, from one of my interviews, a cautionary and heartfelt message from a leader in emergency medicine.

What can be done?

Some leaders are actively embracing, supporting, and sustaining ‘Wellness’ programs for staff. We’ve all heard the phrase; You can’t pour from an empty cup. Many are approaching ‘empty’.

This clip feature's a network COO, addressing leadership's role in 'refilling the cups' of those in her network.

Sounds warm and hopeful. Why isn’t that happening more? Is there not enough time for us to re-connect with one another? But in truth, how much time is needed to periodically say, I see you, I hear you, and I want you to know that you matter. We're witnessing the dangers?of blaming many things on a lack of time. Whether at work, or at home, there's an urgent need to dedicate a few moments to be more present to one another.

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What’s being done (to refill healthcare worker’s-cups)

A variety of internal measures are already being undertaken to create programs to deal with this growing healthcare worker burnout and retention crisis.

A program like PACT (Peer Associate Care Team). Here, all levels of healthcare workers are connecting with one another, learning to recognize peers and associates who may be approaching burn-out or experiencing a personal life crisis. Again, it’s about being more ‘present’ to one another and offering opportunities to create new relationships as well as deepening existing ones.

When contracted to create a PACT video, I took the peer-to-peer training. What was taught? 1) Be a compassionate listener 2) Validate a person's feelings and concerns 3)?Don’t try to fix the person 4) If appropriate, suggest resources that may provide value. For me, these became valuable life lessons to be reminded of. Below, a physician shares his appreciation, gratitude and need, for having engaged in peer-to-peer support.

While solely a practice of peer-to-peer connections (no consultants), programs like these like are providing effective tools to help mitigate burn-out and to help heal and retain talent. I'm sure we all get it, a healthy medical provider is more likely to optimize patient care.

A Teaching initiative

There are in-network education programs to improve clinical and operational performance. They also serves to revitalize and re-inspire workers. When creating video content for one such program, I interviewed an ICU physician. He shared about his brutal COVID experience and his approaching sense of burnout and depression. His love of practicing medicine was rapidly and dangerously tanking.

A new learning experience was needed, exactly when I needed it. I was falling through the cracks. My interest in my career was taking a hit, after COVID and burnout. I lost my happiness, that sense of why am I doing this. Offered this opportunity to become a better teacher gave me energy and a reason to keep going. It’s been a great experience.

In this program, medical providers and specialists, from varying disciplines, signed on as ‘Scholars’. They connected with one another, across their network, to improve performance, restore their self-relevance and improve both the patient and provider/associate experience.

Interview after interview, I became increasingly inspired by each person's expression of gratitude and renewed sense of purpose. One could sense a revitalization of spirit, and in the aggregate, an uplifting of a culture.

Re-inspired physicians and associates = More nurtured and satisfied patients

Why & how healthcare leaders need to re-connect

In interview after interview, many expressed the need to 'see and be seen' more by leadership. One provider went as far as to say; Top tier leaders are no longer real people to us.

Without leadership re-connection, there’s little validation of people’s challenges, frustrations, as well as their triumphs. Moral continues to suffer and retention and recruiting becomes increasingly difficult. From time to time, we all need to hear; ‘I see you; I hear you and I want you to know that I'm aware of how much you matter."

Below are a few suggestions from my interviews for opportunities to restore a sense of connectivity.

Increased Town Halls

Pre-pandemic, whether on-site or virtual, leadership exhibited ‘presence’ and visibility at these town hall meetings. It enabled leaders to hear what’s sometimes beneath the radar and being withheld from them, or equally as important, proudly shared with them.

Many years ago, I asked Kevin Burke, former Chairman, CEO and President of ConEd, about what’s of the utmost importance to him, and expected of his leaders and managers. He replied;

“If I’m not made aware of serious issues, in a timely manner, and my leaders

may be too afraid, or unaware, to tell me about it, they’re not leading,

and our organization's in trouble."

Rounding

Pre-pandemic, many shared that leadership would occasionally attend 'Rounds'. That meant a great deal to them. It became another opportunity to re-connect and be recognized.

?Advertising, PR & Outreach tools

Podcasts

????These audio and video tools feature images, and their values statements, of your ‘Best Practice’ workers. Again, what I’m referencing by ‘Best Practice’, are individuals who exemplify and practice self-care, patient engagement and self-improvement practices.

Far more than clever and current phraseology, this approach represents the heart of the network - your people. Nothing is as authentic as hearing from the heart of those who serve you. It also powerfully communicates to donors and to the community. It also affords leadership opportunity to 'refilling the cups' of those in the network.?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? President Roosevelt may have said it best;

Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

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So what's improving the provider/associate/patient experience??????

A bi-directional process that's improving both the healthcare worker and the patient experience, simultaneously. It’s increasing, supporting and sustaining wellness programs. It's revisiting opportunities for re-connecting, recognizing, and being more present to one another.

More now than ever before, it's needed for us to say and hear; ‘I see you; I hear you and I want you to know that I'm aware of how much you matter."

About the author

Bob Becker is a marketing/communications leader, content creator and facilitator of his Medical Educational Resources (MER) program. While serving 10 years on his network's ethics committee, he observed how many fellow members exemplified 'Best Practices'; their skills as communicators, their ability to engage, listen and validate, and to maintain self-care practices.?

Through video documenting their insights and skill sets, a body of content was created, and disseminated, for authentic wellness, education, retention and recruiting programs. Bob, and his MER content creation process, can help to revitalize a hospital culture.

www.medicaleducationalresources.com ?