Revealing the blind spots: five key challenges for advancing physician wellness
Physician wellness is a critical yet unresolved challenge in medical education. Burnout, emotional distress, and systemic barriers undermine the sustainability of the healthcare workforce, with negative consequences for both physicians and patients. Despite widespread recognition, existing interven...
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| Language: | English |
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Canadian Medical Education Journal
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Canadian Medical Education Journal |
| Online Access: | https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cmej/article/view/80720 |
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| author | Adam Neufeld |
| author_facet | Adam Neufeld |
| author_sort | Adam Neufeld |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Physician wellness is a critical yet unresolved challenge in medical education. Burnout, emotional distress, and systemic barriers undermine the sustainability of the healthcare workforce, with negative consequences for both physicians and patients. Despite widespread recognition, existing interventions often fall short, hindered by fragmented approaches and resistance to change. This article identifies five key challenges that will need to be overcome if we are to make meaningful progress in advancing physician wellness: (1) inconsistent definitions and flawed methodologies in assessing wellness, (2) overemphasis on individual-focused interventions, (3) the absence of unified, evidence-based frameworks, (4) ethical and methodological problems with wellness surveys, and (5) the commercialization of wellness. Each challenge represents deeply ingrained barriers within healthcare institutions that impede meaningful progress. I advocate for a paradigm shift toward evidence-based, systems-level strategies, focusing on Canadian and US medical education. By integrating theoretical frameworks like Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Job Demands-Resources (JDR) model into accreditation standards and institutional practices, healthcare organizations can address the root causes of physician distress.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-44297d2fc12a4654a390364ca7bd7d5f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1923-1202 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Medical Education Journal |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Canadian Medical Education Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-44297d2fc12a4654a390364ca7bd7d5f2025-08-20T02:09:55ZengCanadian Medical Education JournalCanadian Medical Education Journal1923-12022025-03-0110.36834/cmej.80720Revealing the blind spots: five key challenges for advancing physician wellnessAdam Neufeld0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2848-8100University of Calgary Physician wellness is a critical yet unresolved challenge in medical education. Burnout, emotional distress, and systemic barriers undermine the sustainability of the healthcare workforce, with negative consequences for both physicians and patients. Despite widespread recognition, existing interventions often fall short, hindered by fragmented approaches and resistance to change. This article identifies five key challenges that will need to be overcome if we are to make meaningful progress in advancing physician wellness: (1) inconsistent definitions and flawed methodologies in assessing wellness, (2) overemphasis on individual-focused interventions, (3) the absence of unified, evidence-based frameworks, (4) ethical and methodological problems with wellness surveys, and (5) the commercialization of wellness. Each challenge represents deeply ingrained barriers within healthcare institutions that impede meaningful progress. I advocate for a paradigm shift toward evidence-based, systems-level strategies, focusing on Canadian and US medical education. By integrating theoretical frameworks like Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Job Demands-Resources (JDR) model into accreditation standards and institutional practices, healthcare organizations can address the root causes of physician distress. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cmej/article/view/80720 |
| spellingShingle | Adam Neufeld Revealing the blind spots: five key challenges for advancing physician wellness Canadian Medical Education Journal |
| title | Revealing the blind spots: five key challenges for advancing physician wellness |
| title_full | Revealing the blind spots: five key challenges for advancing physician wellness |
| title_fullStr | Revealing the blind spots: five key challenges for advancing physician wellness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Revealing the blind spots: five key challenges for advancing physician wellness |
| title_short | Revealing the blind spots: five key challenges for advancing physician wellness |
| title_sort | revealing the blind spots five key challenges for advancing physician wellness |
| url | https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cmej/article/view/80720 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT adamneufeld revealingtheblindspotsfivekeychallengesforadvancingphysicianwellness |