Practical Guidance on Mental Health and Physician Burnout
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The Pros and Cons of a Patient’s HRD Score
Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) score is an emerging marker to predict an ovarian cancer patient’s response to PARP inhibitors. However, its use is complicated by a lack of standardization between the molecular diagnostic companies.
Learn MoreDecision Making Around PARP Inhibitors Such as Olaparib (Lynparza) in Frontline Maintenance
The typical treatment for patients with advanced ovarian cancer is surgery plus platinum-based chemotherapy. Although most patients go into remission following this regimen, an estimated 70% relapse within the next three years.
Learn MoreWhy Physicians Should Prioritize Their Emotional Wellbeing
The issue of burnout has long plagued physicians given the many hours of physically and mentally draining work. But the past year of dealing with COVID-19 has ratcheted the demands on doctors even higher, and many may be experiencing profession-related mental health issues for the first time. Now more than ever it's important to pay attention to the idea of compassion fatigue, says Dr. Marianna Strongin, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Strong in Therapy, her Manhattan-based private practice.
Learn MoreHow to Find the Right Therapist When You Feel Burned Out — Advice from a Clinical Psychologist
Not surprisingly, doctors tend to be rather picky when choosing professionals to take care of their own health. And that’s true of both physical and emotional health needs. “Doctors happen to be really selective about finding therapists,” says Dr. Marianna Strongin, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Strong in Therapy, her Manhattan-based private practice. “I think it’s one of the reasons that they don’t get into therapy earlier.”
Learn MoreFemale Doctors Want the Same Level of Representation – and Respect – as Male Doctors
While male doctors still outnumber female doctors in the United States, the demographic is changing. In 2019, women made up 50.5% of medical school students. Some 80% of doctors age 65 and older are men, who may soon be retiring. In a few years, women may begin to dominate the medical profession. For now, they just want equal treatment from their colleagues.
Learn MoreCOVID-19 Could Lead to Dangerous Levels of Physician Burnout — How Can We Change the Culture of Medicine?
Working to the extreme is a hazard of the medical profession. In January 2020, 42% of physicians surveyed reported feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, otherwise known as burnout. And that was before COVID-19 sent a flood of new patients into medical offices and hospitals.
Learn MoreHow Physicians Can Prevent Physical and Emotional Burnout
“One of the first things we look for with burnout is exhaustion, and it can happen in both a physical and emotional way,” explains Dr. Marianna Strongin, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Strong in Therapy, her Manhattan-based private practice. Physical exhaustion is often a precursor to emotional exhaustion, but complicating burnout diagnosis and treatment in physicians is the fact that they’ve been trained to work through physical exhaustion and even to ignore it.
Learn MoreThe Message from Leading Voices in Cancer Care — Don’t Lose Yourself in Caring for Your Patients
Physician burnout is real. The mental and physical exhaustion that characterizes this condition affects up to half of doctors, and it can have both professional and personal implications. Even in times of great duress, like the COVID-19 pandemic, our instinct is to put patients first, and we may fail to recognize our own needs as a result.
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