How doing good can also result in doing well.
Gratitude. Who doesn't appreciate hearing expressions of gratitude, whether from co-workers, managers, or patients? Rare would be the person who isn't moved by a spontaneous, heartfelt expression of appreciation in most settings. Sure it's always nice to get letters or cards from grateful patients or their family members.
For me as a CEO, reading and sharing notes from grateful patients with managers and front-line staff was a highlight of my day. These letters and cards serve as a reminder of our calling to serve others and as an important acknowledgment of the care, compassion, expertise, and teamwork that made a singular difference for that patient or family member. Yet I find that many of us who entered healthcare in almost any role, but especially clinicians, have an uneasy relationship with gratitude -- even grow visibly uncomfortable -- when it is expressed live and in-person from a patient or family member.
Over the years I have known so many nurses and physicians who've responded in self-deprecating fashion by saying "Oh, it's nothing" or "Just doing my job". And no clinician, at least none I've known, feels comfortable asking a grateful patient to make a donation to the hospital. Ironically, one of the 6 drivers of clinician burnout is lack of recognition.
Think about it: on the one hand, everyone wants to be appreciated and recognized for their efforts. On the other hand, caregivers often become uneasy with 1:1 earnest expressions of gratitude from patients.
Meanwhile, in non-profit hospital development offices all across the country, Chief Philanthropy Officers and CEO's are hunting for non-operating revenue from gifts, donations, and grants to support the hospital's mission, especially with operating margins so limited.
Someone who's apparently solved this dilemma is Bruce Bartoo, a former chief philanthropy officer at a large faith-based health system, who is the founder of the Gratitude Health Group and of the Institute for Gratitude in Healthcare. Mr. Bartoo and his medical advisor, Les Matthews, MD, MBA, MS, have developed and now train others in a methodology that simultaneously makes it easier for clinicians to accept/acknowledge verbal expressions of gratitude -- recognition being a partial antidote to clinician burnout -- while connecting the grateful patient or family to a development officer who can help the patient/family make tangible their appreciation for the organization and its caregivers.
Bruce and Les are now preparing for a first national conference on gratitude in healthcare -- how to cultivate it to achieve 3 benefits: expanded philanthropic support, reduced clinician burnout, and enhanced patient experience -- which will be held in Baltimore on September 10. It's my pleasure to serve on a panel there with my colleague, Paul DeChant, MD, MBA.
Ready to transform your hospital or workplace?
Are you frustrated by adversarial relationships between front-line clinicians and senior leadership? Organizational Wellbeing Solutions was formed to enable senior leaders to identify the specific drivers of clinician burnout in their organization; and to support leaders in designing and executing a comprehensive plan to stop clinician burnout, increase retention, and improve operating results. A hallmark of our consultancy is correcting the all-too-frequent distrust and alienation clinicians feel toward the c-suite generally and the CEO in particular. Let us help you help your organization and its clinicians develop a more trusting, aligned, and productive working relationship.
Comments