Karl Fernstrom

Extending Our Understanding of Burnout and Its Associated Factors: Providers and Staff in Primary Care Clinics.

Burnout has been identified as an occupational hazard in the helping professions for many years and is often overlooked, as health-care systems strive to improve cost and quality. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) are tools for assessing burnout prevalence and its associated factors. We describe how we used them in outpatient clinics to assess burnout for multiple job types. Traditional statistical techniques and seemingly unrelated regression were used to describe the sample and evaluate the association between work life domains and burnout. Of 838 eligible participants, 467 (55.7%) were included for analysis. Burnout prevalence varied across three job categories: providers (37.5%), clinical assistants (24.6%), and other staff (28.0%). It was not related to age, gender, or years of tenure but was lower in part-time workers (24.6%) than in full-time workers (33.9%). Analysis of the AWS subscales identified organizational correlates of burnout. Accurately identifying and defining the operative system factors associated with burnout will make it possible to create successful interventions. Using the MBI and the AWS together can highlight the relationship between system work experiences and burnout.

Effect of a Whole-Person Model of Care on Patient Experience in Patients With Complex Chronic Illness in Late Life

Background: Patients with serious chronic illness are at a greater risk of depersonalized, overmedicalized care as they move into later life. Existing intervention research on person-focused care for persons in this transitional period is limited. Objective: To test the effects of LifeCourse, a team-based, whole-person intervention emphasizing listening to and knowing patients, on patient experience at 6 months. Design: This is a quasi-experimental study with patients allocated to LifeCourse and comparison groups based on 2 geographic locations. Robust change-score regression models adjusted for baseline differences and confounding. Setting/Participants: Patients (113 intervention, 99 comparison in analyses) were individuals with heart failure or other serious chronic illness, cancer, or dementia who had visits to hospitals at a large multipractice health system in the United States Midwest. Measurements: Primary outcome was 6-month change in patient experience measured via a novel, validated 21-item patient experience tool developed specifically for this intervention. Covariates included demographics, comorbidity score, and primary diagnosis. Results: At 6 months, LifeCourse was associated with a moderate improvement in overall patient experience versus usual care. Individual domain subscales for care team, communication, and patient goals were not individually significant but trended positively in the direction of effect. Conclusion: Person-focused, team-based interventions can improve patient experience with care at a stage fraught with overmedicalization and many care needs. Improvement in patient experience in LifeCourse represents the sum effect of small improvements across different domains/aspects of care such as relationships with and work by the care team.

Quality of Life for Late Life Patients: Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Whole-Person Approach for Patients With Chronic Illnesses:

Quality of life (QOL) for patients with serious illness in late life is important for patients and policy makers and has implications for improved care delivery. This mixed-methods evaluation examined the effectiveness of a new whole-person approach to late life care—the LifeCourse—which provides patients with ongoing, across-setting assistance from lay health care workers, supported by a clinical team. We investigated whether participation in LifeCourse improves QOL for intervention patients, compared with usual care controls. QOL was assessed using baseline and 6 months Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Palliative version tool (n = 181 patients and 126 controls). LifeCourse had a significant positive effect on overall QOL for patients when compared with controls. Interview data revealed that participants adjusted expectations when assessing QOL and actively sought out ways to maintain QOL with meaningful activities and needed services. LifeCourse offers a promising model for improving QOL for late life patients.