From Burnout to Balance: How Doctors Can Prioritise Self-Care Without Compromising Patient Care

In the high-stakes world of medicine where the lives of patients depend on clinical accuracy and timely decisions, it is easy for doctors to become forgetful of their own well-being. However, there is enough evidence to show that the physical, mental and emotional health of physicians has a direct bearing on patient outcomes. Self-care for healthcare professionals is an essential element of excellence in healthcare.
Doctor burnout is much more common than people think because of the uniquely demanding nature of the profession. Long working hours, pressure to deliver optimum outcome for every patient and the constant awareness that one is dealing with critical issues of life and death lead to a high incidence of emotional and physical depletion, with symptoms like exhaustion, listlessness and depersonalization of patients. Chronic burnout can lead to poor clinical decisions, increased medical errors and even an exit from the profession to look for something that imposes less demands on one’s life.

In India, challenges for doctors are even higher due to high patient load, lack of adequate resources and the cultural perception that caring for oneself is somewhat selfish and self-indulgent. “Doctors are here to take care of others, not of themselves” – this is the unstated belief that exists in the back of mind of much of the healthcare fraternity, and indeed, among patients too.

The society needs a cultural shift where self-care for doctors is mainstreamed and seen not as luxury but as professional responsibility. It is time for healthcare leaders to set an example for others by taking time off, set boundaries, and speak openly about the importance of wellness and self-care.

Here are five practical ways I have discovered in which doctors can take care of themselves without compromising on patient outcomes:

1. Doctors keep a very busy schedule. They must insert a time slot (even half an hour per day is enough) in their daily routine for taking a nap, relaxing, exercising, listening to music, or spending some quality time with family. This break from one’s work must be non-negotiable.

2. They must incorporate stress reduction techniques between consultations, such as breathing exercises, meditation or Yoga. Many of these activities can be done sitting in one’s chair and don’t take more than a minute or two.

3. Create casual WhatsApp groups with one’s peers or friends for non-medical conversations to take away one’s mind from work, even if briefly.

4. Work-life balance is usually not possible in a medical setting as health emergencies for patients can come announced any time of the day or night. What doctors should instead aim for is work-life integration. In other words, they need to blend their work into their personal life intelligently. For example, they can bring family to medical conferences or plan family vacations that align with professional events.

5. Finally, if nothing else works, do not feel shy of taking professional help. Doctors  must heed their own advice to patients of not delaying treatment or overlooking symptoms.

Hospitals, on their part, should rationalize patient loads for doctors, provide counselling services, and create spaces in the institution for their relaxation and recreation. Use of technology can go a long way in reducing administrative overload through efficient record- keeping systems and AI-supported diagnostics.

We must all realize that doctor self-care is a virtuous cycle. Healthier doctors lead to healthier medical systems and more effective care, which in turn lead to better outcomes for patients, and, indeed, for the doctors themselves.