Why healthy communities need happy doctors and happy teachers Presentation sponsored by Hearts in Healthcare, the movement for human-centred healthcare
For two years we have been working together to strengthen compassion in healthcare, here in Louisville, the compassionate city.
Why we focus on compassion in healthcare? Compassionate, whole-person care is the only way we can save healthcare from deep crisis Compassionate caring is more powerful than medication in healing our patients it achieves better outcomes, safer care, happier patients, it saves time and money, and give joy and meaning to the work of health professionals.
But we have a major problem - burnout! Many of our health professionals are burning out. That means they have emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. If you are a burnt-out health professional, your capacity for compassionate caring is compromised.
How bad is it in the USA? Burnout rates: 50% of doctors 30-40% of nurses
Health and happiness are closely related 80-90% of chronic disease and cancer is caused by emotional suffering. For instance, pessimists have four times the death rate from heart disease compared with optimists. And unhappy people make unhealthy lifestyle choices.
What example is a stressed doctor giving to his patients? Burnt-out doctors have a 42% increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke that s more than the risk of smoking or high cholesterol!
But there is hope When people are given social support, taught how to relieve stress, and helped to choose a healthy diet and moderate exercise: Coronary artery disease is reversed without drugs or surgery Cancer progression can be halted Cancer genes are turned off Wellness genes are turned on Dr Dean Ornish This is proven in scientific trials
The leading cause of health in the USA is happiness!
There is only one person you can change Health professionals can t change their patients, only themselves. When did lifestyle advice to patients EVER make a difference?!!! But health professionals who learn to find their own happiness and wellbeing, and practice with compassion, make an AMAZING difference to their patients it s a scientific fact!
Teachers are burning out too 46% of all new teachers in the USA leave the profession within 5 years - National Commission on Teaching and America s Future
There is only one person you can change Teachers can t change their students, only themselves. But teachers who learn to find their own happiness and wellbeing, and who teach with humanity and compassion, make a lifelong difference to their students.
Healthy communities need happy doctors and happy teachers! There is no more important an investment we can make in our community.
The causes of burnout in healthcare and education are the same The industrialization of healthcare and education, and the focus on budgets, production and targets, has dehumanized those who work in the system But we can change the system from within by helping our health professionals and teachers to heal themselves and to inspire all they serve
We can teach people the simple practices of a happy life kindness! appreciation! gratitude! Selfcompassion! mindfulness! If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. - His Holiness, the Dalai Lama attitude! creativity! Serving! others!
The new science of positive psychology tells us that really small interventions make a huge difference to happiness For instance 20 hours of mindfulness training for burnt-out physicians made a huge difference to stress and mental health scores. Encouraging a nurse to do small acts of kindness can transform work satisfaction.
So here s a radical idea for Louisville Let s all work together to create a community-owned center or institute for happiness in healthcare and education - offering completely free events, programs, retreats and courses for all who work in healthcare and education
Let s embody the spirit of compassion and generosity in the way we create and run this institute for happiness We ll ask organizations and individuals to freely give their resources, time and expertise in support of this cause. We ll ask all who benefit from free programs or events to make a donation, according to their means.
We ve already started! Happiness in Healthcare Compassionfest! 11 th October 2014
A shared commitment by Louisville leaders At a meeting on 7 th October, senior healthcare and academic leaders from the compassionate city of Louisville gave a shared commitment to invest in caring for our own Let s make this a reality!