Diversity Statement ( education)

TITLE: An intervention to address physician burnout with a focus on Perma+4

10-12PAGE PAPER

MAIN SECTIONS

1. Research: The research section should provide a summary of the empirical research that

supports your application of positive organizational psychology. Include relevant

literature and references supporting the value of this positive organizational psychology

application. Build a theoretical argument based on available research for why your

application is needed and why it is likely to be effective. This section should be 3 to

5 pages.

3. Application (or Intervention): The application section should describe your idea for your

application of positive organizational psychology. Describe your idea in detail including

the context, target participants, activities, timing, and any tools and/or materials

involved. This section should be 3 to 8pages depending on what is needed to

adequately explain your proposed idea.

Implement appreciative inquiry to identify & evaluate mental health across resident physicians

Source: Kobau, R., Seligman, M.E., Peterson C., Diener E., Zack M.M., Chapman, D., & Thompson W. (2011). Mental health promotion in public health: Perspectives and strategies from positive psychologyLinks to an external site. American Journal of Public Health. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2010.300083.

Assessment

Final project papers will be evaluated on the following criteria:

OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC FOR THE PAPER

From increased demands at work to increased demands at home, the COVID-19 pandemic introduced stressors to nearly every domain of life. The pandemic shed light on high demands and expectations for emergency responders, retail workers, healthcare workers, and anyone who was at the front lines of the pandemic. According to results of the 2021 American Psychological Association (APA) Work and Well-being survey, nearly 3 in 5 employees experienced negative impacts of stress on their well-being in the month leading up to the survey. These negative impacts included “lack of interest, motivation or energy, difficulty focusing, and a lack of effort at work” (APA.org, 2021). Commonly stated factors which contributed to stress at work included heavy workload, low salaries, and unrealistic expectations (APA.org, 2021). 

Persistent and increasingly high demands, expectations, and stressors at work consequently lead to burnout, a syndrome resulting from chronic stress in the workplace (World Health Organization, 2019). The World Health Organization characterizes burnout by three dimensions: “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy” (World Health Organization, 2019). While burnout from chronic stress at work can impact anyone, its impacts on physician well-being has become a topic of growing professional and public health concern. 

Current literature suggests that burnout and mental health illnesses are epidemic in physicians (Kalmoe et. al, 2019). The 2015 Medscape Physician Lifestyle Survey reported that 45 percent of physicians experience burnout (Drummond, 2015). A systematic review and meta-analysis of 54 studies surveying over 17,000 resident physicians showed that 20.9 to 43.2 percent of resident physicians screened positive for depression during their four year training (Mata et. al, 2019).  Additionally, studies have noted increased risk of suicide among physicians. Male physicians and female physicians have suicide rates as much as 40 and 130 percent higher than the general population, respectively. 

Physicians have high burnout rates due to various reasons, including excessive workload, emotional strain, lack of support, and financial pressures. Physicians often work long hours, including weekends and holidays, and may have to deal with high patient loads. This can lead to physical and mental exhaustion and can make it difficult for them to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Long hours: residents work up to 80, paid around 60K. Sleep patterns — mental health

Depending on the structure and culture of the healthcare system, physicians may feel unsupported by their healthcare organizations. Lastly, many physicians may face financial pressures, such as high student loan debt and declining reimbursement rates, which can add to their stress. Overall, these factors can contribute to high levels of burnout among physicians, which can negatively impact their own health, patient care, and the healthcare system as a whole.

Physician burnout has negative impacts on both the individual and organizational levels. Figure 1.1 below outlines the impacts of physician burnout across the multiple aforementioned levels:

II. Positive Organizational Psychology - PERMA+4 Framework 

PERMA+4 is a framework of positive organizational psychology, which is defined as “the scientific study of positive subjective experience and traits in the workplace and positive organizations, and its application to improve the effectiveness and quality of life in organizations (Donaldson et. al, 2021). PERMA+4 was developed and refined by Martin Seligman, a foundational researcher and leader in positive organizational psychology. Through extensive research and examination, Seligman first developed this framework as the building blocks of how to manage and develop well-being (Donaldson et. al, 2022). Seligman argued that well-being can be developed through pursuit of the 5 following building blocks, known as PERMA (Donaldson et. al, 2022):

1. Positive Emotions: The practice of gratitude, feelings of happiness, and other positive emotions.

2. Engagement: Experiencing life and activities while being engaged.

3. Relationships: Having the ability to build and maintain positive, mutually beneficial relationships founded in love and appreciation.

4. Meaning: Being connected to something more than just the self (a greater purpose).

5. Accomplishment: Establishing a sense of excellence or mastery over a particular area of interest and feeling achievement when faced with challenges in life/work. 

While these 5 building blocks are crucial to developing well-being, Seligman argued that they are not exhaustive and that additional evidence-based building blocks would improve the framework (Donaldson et. al, 2022). Thus, Seligman provided criteria for researchers to improve and expand the original PERMA model to become more comprehensive. Researchers used Seligman’s criteria and conducted extensive research to add additional elements which would contribute to well-being. The four new building blocks which were added to develop the expanded framework known as PERMA+4 is the following (Donaldson et. al, 2022):

NB; I WOULD NEED A plagiarism REPORT ATTACHED TO THE CONCLUDED PAPER.