Dealing with Our Losses: When Our Work Hits Home (513)

Abstract

1.Review literature regarding how health care providers can deal with death and serious illness on a regular basis and maintain purpose and avoid burnout.2.Discuss strategies for dealing with and preventing burnout in hospice and palliative medicine.3.Explore possible means to dealing with our own personal losses, in the midst of ministering to the needs of our patients. Twenty-five years have passed since Balfour Mount's “Dealing with Our Losses” highlighted the relationship between loss, stress, and clinical performance in field of oncology. In the years that have followed, the field of hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) has blossomed and become a viable career option, both for seasoned professionals pursuing a second career and newer providers coming right out of training. Evidence suggests that burnout may result from dealing repeatedly with suffering, death, and loss--a reality of our profession. While scant literature has surfaced regarding burnout in HPM professionals, it has been suggested that narrative is a major avenue for dealing with suffering and loss. The telling of the story and the opportunity share feelings and responses to situations with others appears to be valuable for HPM providers; the process being more cathartic than any potential outcome. Unfortunately, one loss all HPM providers will invariably encounter is personal loss--often in the form of death of a loved one. Positively, this may serve as the motivation to become an HPM professional or a source of ongoing professional satisfaction. Negatively, personal loss may affect interactions with HPM patients or intensify normal grief associated with patient loss. How HPM providers process their own losses may indeed impact how their patients are cared for, perhaps even more than in other fields. The goal of this session is to explore collectively--audience and presenters--how our personal and professional stories may impact the care of our patients. We will discuss how to incorporate personal experiences appropriately, without allowing them to unfairly shape our practice. Lastly, we will explore strategies on how to “insulate oneself” from the repeated suffering witnessed as HPM providers, leveraging individual coping strategies, in an effort to promote sustainability and improve patient care.