Three-pronged approach can improve physician engagement

(HealthDay)—The three-pronged approach implemented by one practice successfully improved physician engagement, according to an article published in Medical Economics.

Mission Health in Asheville, N.C., implemented a three-pronged approach to improve physician engagement, which increased the number of employees who reported being fully engaged from 17.5 to 40 percent within a year and a half. The first aspect is team engagement. Each team member checks in with the team leader at the beginning of every week. (The team leader is not necessarily a person's supervisor.) The team leader asks each member three things: what the team member needs, what they "loved" about their week, and what they "loathed." In addition, the team members listed their priorities for the week, and in some cases the team leader offered to help change these if necessary. Finally team members were asked to rate themselves based on how much they contributed last week and how much they worked to their strengths in the last week.

According to the report, the second aspect relates to improving the work environment by eliminating hassles and upscaling the joys of work. Examples of hassles included frustrations from information technology, such as electronic health record systems, as well as more routine hassles, like malfunctioning office equipment.

The final aspect of improving physician engagement relates to helping staff to cultivate an individual resilience approach. The approach uses scientific evidence for resilience by drawing on common practices from other cultures, such as meditation, cultivating gratitude, and engaging in activities beyond the self. In short, the program emphasizes that employees are never left to figure things out on their own.

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