The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly: A Physician’s First Year

The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly: A Physician’s First Year

In medical school, Matt McCarthy dreamed of being a different kind of doctor—the sort of mythical, unflappable physician who could reach unreachable patients. But when a new admission to the critical care unit almost died... read more

Drowned: Nurses Under Water

Drowned: Nurses Under Water

Nurses are expensive. We are the largest professional workforce in healthcare, and with over 3.1 million professional nurses in the country, it appears that we are large in number but small as a priority. Nurses are overworked.... read more

Creating a “Manageable Cockpit” for Clinicians

Creating a “Manageable Cockpit” for Clinicians

For many clinicians, the work of health care has become undoable. The "cockpit" where physicians and other health professionals work now consists of a cacophony of warning alerts, pop-up messages, mandatory tick boxes, a... read more

A Qualitative Study Exploring Moral Distress in the ICU Team

A Qualitative Study Exploring Moral Distress in the ICU Team

This study identified the ways in which moral distress manifests across critical care disciplines in different ICU environments. Our results have potential implications for patient care. First, when clinicians alter the content... read more

The Prevalence of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout among Healthcare Professionals in ICUs

The Prevalence of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout among Healthcare Professionals in ICUs

The true prevalence of burnout, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress and vicarious trauma in ICU healthcare professionals remains open for discussion. A thorough exploration of emotional distress in relation to... read more

Hidden Curricula, Ethics, and Professionalism: Optimizing Clinical Learning Environments in Becoming and Being a Physician

Hidden Curricula, Ethics, and Professionalism: Optimizing Clinical Learning Environments in Becoming and Being a Physician

The educational and social milieu of medical learning environments is a complex system of influences. Role models across peer relationships and the hierarchy of medicine contribute to the formation of professional identity,... read more

Why Do Nurses Quit?

Why Do Nurses Quit?

Estimates are that up to 30-50% of nurses leave their position or quit nursing altogether in the first year. What drives nurses away? Some new grads do not survive the shock. Nursing school is insufficient preparation for... read more

Psychological Burnout and Critical Care Medicine

Psychological Burnout and Critical Care Medicine

While you are likely proud to be a critical care medicine (CCM) practitioner, does work routinely leave you increasingly drained? Do you feel resentful about requests for "futile interventions" and unwilling to absorb others'... read more

Alarm and Alert Fatigue in Critical Care

Todd Fraser, MD, speaks with Bradford D. Winters, PhD, MD, FCCM, about alarm and alert fatigue in critical care. Alarm fatigue is the desensitization that clinicians experience to frequent alarms, particularly those that... read more

Solutions to Alleviate Burnout

Solutions to Alleviate Burnout

A range of factors drives clinician burnout, including workload, time pressure, clerical burden, and professional isolation. Clerical burden, especially documentation of care and order entry, is a major driver of clinician... read more

Moral distress and its contribution to the development of burnout syndrome among critical care providers

Moral distress and its contribution to the development of burnout syndrome among critical care providers

Correlation between moral distress and burnout was assessed among all intensive care unit (ICU) and the step–down unit (SDU) providers (physicians, nurses, nurse technicians and respiratory therapists). Researchers reported... read more

Dear hospital administrators: Please value your amazing nurses

Dear hospital administrators: Please value your amazing nurses

Anyone who has worked in health care for any length of time, has seen situations erupt where nurses and administrations clash. I have seen this happen myself in many health care institutions, and almost every doctor I've... read more

Fatigue and Sleep Deprivation

Fatigue and Sleep Deprivation

Being a doctor typically involves high-intensity, time-pressured working patterns. These can lead to sleep deprivation and fatigue, effecting doctors' health, well-being and performance, their safety and that of their patients.... read more

The Way We Think About Nurse Burnout is Broken

The Way We Think About Nurse Burnout is Broken

There are several things wrong with the way we think about nurse burnout. This is troubling for several reasons. If we do not have a clear understanding about burnout, then we cannot help nurses who may be suffering from... read more