This August, Clif Knight, MD, senior vice president for education at the American Academy of Family Physicians, will present a session at the Members Assembly on physician burnout and resiliency. Dr. Knight will discuss the environmental factors and several core reasons why the level of professional fatigue in medicine is skyrocketing. He will also share several strategies for managing personal and professional stress; one option that will be suggested is to consider starting a mindfulness plan.
To help understand the unfamiliar concept that will be presented to our membership this summer, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians staff met with Patrice Rancour, MS, RN, an expert in the field of integrated medicine at The Ohio State University Center for Integrative Health and Wellness. Ms. Rancour explained that mindfulness techniques date back 2,000 years ago as a treatment to relieve anxiety and stress. She explained that mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present while observing thoughts and feelings from a distance—without judgement.
Neuroscientists and family physicians alike have done extensive research on the positive effects mindfulness has on the brain and the way we focus on our own wellness and the environment we live in. Family physicians at the University of Wisconsin have produced a video to help explain the benefits and the knowledge bases of mindful meditation. The video is part of a new site section on the OAFP website dedicated to physician resiliency and strengthening the joy of family medicine.
Ms. Rancour provided several links to audio files to be used as mindfulness coaching aids. These resources are free and can be accessed by physicians and their practice team members, or suggested to patients for their own personal use.
For physicians interested in exploring the art of mindfulness, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is providing an online education program for physicians and other health care professionals titled, “Mind-Body Skills Training for Resilience, Effectiveness, and Mindfulness (STREAM).” Participants will earn American Medical Association Physician Recognition Award Category 1 Credit(s)™ and learn the skills that will help them personally and professionally to become more resilient in the face of stress, more clinically effective in helping patients, and more mindful in their daily life.
If you have techniques that you use to relieve stress and anxiety, the OAFP would love to hear from you and feature your strategies in future Academy communications. Send your best practice ideas to Deputy Executive Vice President Kate Mahler, CAE, or call 800.742.7327.