Nutrition plays an important role in maintaining a person’s health and well-being. While system level solutions to solve physician burnout are most effective, self-care can also play a role. And a big part of self-care for doctors is eating well. By learning more about nutrition and keeping the topic at the forefront, doctors can better care for themselves and their patients.
The FMC module, “Nutrition Science for Health and Longevity: What Every Doctor Needs to Know“, is a durable material and designated by the AMA for a maximum of 4 AMA PRA Category 1™ credit, and helps doctors start an effective conversation about nutrition with patients. The four-hour course, at your own pace, is developed and led by the Gaples Institute for Integrative Cardiologya non-profit organization focused on improving the role of nutrition and lifestyle in healthcare.
The course includes four modules distributed in collaboration with the AMA Education Center™, an online platform offering high-quality CME/MOC from many trusted sources to support lifelong learning for physicians and other healthcare professionals. With topics that concern you, including many CME Modules on Physician Burnout—the AMA Ed Hub also offers a simple, streamlined way to find, track, and track educational activities in one place, with automatic CME/MOC credit reporting for select state and specialty boards.
“Nutrition is a huge gap in physician education,” said AMA member Stephen Devries, MD, a cardiologist and executive director of the Gaples Institute in Deerfield, Illinois. “As a result, doctors tend to make decisions about their own health in the same way as the general public, often based on what they read in the lay press. »
“Interestingly, recent physician education program guidelines emphasize the importance of a healthy diet for physician self-care and mitigating burnout, but how can physicians make significant dietary changes without a solid background in nutrition? ” he said.
Dr. Devries shared these key tips that can help doctors and their patients.
Avoid high-calorie meals
Avoid high-calorie meals
Many doctors are stressed and don’t have enough time to do what they need to do. And when it comes to eating, doctors are like many other Americans and too often choose a quick, convenient option like fast food.
Although the donut or bag of chips may seem like an appealing distraction on a stressful day, most people find “comfort foods” to be distinctly uncomfortable a half hour later. However, meals based on colorful vegetables, whole grains, primarily plant-based proteins (beans and tofu), and fruits leave them more alert and in a better mood throughout the day.
It is also important to think about food culture in medical settings. Hospital lunchtime lectures are often accompanied by pizza and sugary drinks, exactly the foods we urge our patients to avoid.
Learn more with the AMA at how to give patients good nutrition advice when time is of the essence.
Practice what you preach
Practice what you preach
When doctors adopt healthy lifestyles, they are more likely to advise their patients to do the same. Doctors should set an example when it comes to healthy eating.
“As a first step, look in the mirror and work on making positive changes to your own diet, first and foremost because you deserve it,” Dr. Devries said. “But the best part is that better self-care also translates to better patient care. You will be more alert and available to your patients, and also more likely to advise them to adopt healthier habits.
Explaining how doctors have overcome lifestyle health issues in their own lives, such as lack of time and stress, can also help advance discussions with patients.
“Most patients want to feel like their doctor takes a personal interest in them and nothing conveys personal interest more than a doctor or nurse who shares a bit of their personal story and how it led to better health,” said Dr. Devries. “It’s a great opportunity to build confidence.”
Learn more about how burnout can harm patient-doctor communication.
Reconnect to the feeling of calling
Reconnect to the feeling of calling
Another factor that promotes burnout in medicine is the feeling of loss of professional meaning.
“Medicine has become so mechanized, driven by algorithms and focused on electronic medical records that some of its initial appeal may be lost,” Dr. Devries said, adding that connecting with patients, even during a “ brief period of time on the subject,” said Dr. Devries. nutrition and lifestyle really bring doctors back to why they got into medicine in the first place.
Learn more about AMA CME Accreditation.