Kidney Stone patients are often told that 24-hour urine tests are useful for identifying their risk factors, and the diet and lifestyle changes they can make to prevent future stones. However, more than half of patients we polled recently were unaware of what their test results meant. Many felt that the information given was generic, and lacked actionable takeaways.

Are we squandering a valuable test by failing to follow up on the results meaningfully with patients?

According to Medscape’s 2022 report on Physician Burnout and Depression, a larger proportion of female physicians have reported feeling burnout compared to their male counterparts. Both genders saw an alarming rise of 5% in reported burnout, as compared to the year before.

The largest contributor to burnout by far was bureaucratic tasks like charting and paperwork. How can we free physicians from such tasks so they can focus on what they do best?

Source: Physician Burnout & Depression Report 2022: Stress, Anxiety, and Anger

Having tried all kinds of pain medications, many chronic kidney stone patients experience pain so severe that only opioids can relieve. However, with the strict controls on opioid use in the USA, they often report being treated like junkies when requesting them at the emergency department.

How can we balance the need for controls with the need to provide relief to kidney stone patients in extreme pain?

In a study of practising urologists across the U.S, researchers from Mayo Clinic Arizona found that #burnout was associated with >51 hour work weeks, taking call and using multiple electronic medical records (EMRs). This can lead to medical errors, poorer quality of care and decreased patient satisfaction.

As resilience and a team player approach were identified as protective factors, healthcare institutions should enforce a positive work culture and enhance their mindfulness programs to better support their #urologists.

Read more here: Personality Traits and Burnout: A Survey of Practicing US Urologists