Enhancing practice efficiency: A key organizational strategy to improve professional fulfillment in allergy and immunology

Abstract

Objective: To review evidence-based strategies that have been noted to improve professional fulfillment and reduce burnout by enhancing practice efficiency.

Data sources: A comprehensive literature review was conducted to evaluate the strategies to improve efficiency of practice-a key driver of burnout among physicians.

Study selections: Studies of efficiency-enhancing practices relevant to allergy-immunology were included.

Results: Professional burnout is prevalent among physicians and is associated with negative outcomes affecting physicians, patients, and health care organizations. Recent surveys suggest at least 35% of US allergists-immunologists experience burnout. There are multiple drivers of professional burnout, some at the individual level and others at the organizational or practice level. Strategies to improve professional fulfillment may be conceptualized using the Stanford physician wellness framework, in which efforts target the following 3 reciprocal domains: culture, personal resilience, and practice efficiency. Organizational strategies that support physician well-being by creating a more efficient practice environment hold great promise, particularly for allergists-immunologists. The reduction of administrative burden and fostering of team-based care have been found in multiple studies to be cost-effective strategies to improve physician and patient satisfaction.

Conclusion: To ensure the well-being of the US allergy-immunology workforce and optimize patient outcomes, both private and academic allergy-immunology institutions should prioritize the adoption and iterative evaluation and refinement of these strategies to cocreate an efficient and ideal practice environment.