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Are GPs’ feelings of burnout and discontent reflected in the psychological content of their consultations?
Zantinge, E., Verhaak, P.F.M., Bakker, D.H. de, Bensing, J.M. Are GPs’ feelings of burnout and discontent reflected in the psychological content of their consultations? In: 13th Wonca Europe Conference, Parijs, 17-20 oktober 2007. Abstract on CD-rom.
Aims: To investigate if consultations from general practitioners (GPs) with feelings of burnout or dissatisfaction contain less psychological elements compared to consultations from GPs without these negative feelings. It is known that GPs’ available time and specific communication tools are important conditions for providing psychological patient care. Feelings of burnout and dissatisfaction may affect GPs’ time and communication negatively, resulting in less psychological elements in their consultations. Design and Methods: 2095 videotaped consultations of a nationally representative sample of 142 Dutch GPs were used to observe GPs’ communication, and the psychological content and length of their consultations. Burnout was subdivided in emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced accomplishment. Multilevel analyses of variance were used to investigate which subgroups of GPs differed significantly. Results: Preliminary results demonstrate that GPs with feelings of exhaustion, depersonalisation or dissatisfaction show significantly more affective communication in their consultations, discuss more psychological topics, and have longer consultations (p<.05), compared to GPs without such negative feelings. On the other hand, GPs with feelings of reduced accomplishment communicate significantly less affectively, discuss less psychological topics and have shorter consultations compared to GPs without reduced accomplishment. Conclusions: Consultations of GPs with feelings of exhaustion, depersonalisation or dissatisfaction contain more elements that are important for the patient with psychological problems, suggesting a higher quality of psychological care. This higher quality may be attributed to GPs’ higher investments in their patients. To reduce GPs’ negative feelings, an attitude of ‘detached concern’ toward their patients is recommended to GPs.
Aims: To investigate if consultations from general practitioners (GPs) with feelings of burnout or dissatisfaction contain less psychological elements compared to consultations from GPs without these negative feelings. It is known that GPs’ available time and specific communication tools are important conditions for providing psychological patient care. Feelings of burnout and dissatisfaction may affect GPs’ time and communication negatively, resulting in less psychological elements in their consultations. Design and Methods: 2095 videotaped consultations of a nationally representative sample of 142 Dutch GPs were used to observe GPs’ communication, and the psychological content and length of their consultations. Burnout was subdivided in emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced accomplishment. Multilevel analyses of variance were used to investigate which subgroups of GPs differed significantly. Results: Preliminary results demonstrate that GPs with feelings of exhaustion, depersonalisation or dissatisfaction show significantly more affective communication in their consultations, discuss more psychological topics, and have longer consultations (p<.05), compared to GPs without such negative feelings. On the other hand, GPs with feelings of reduced accomplishment communicate significantly less affectively, discuss less psychological topics and have shorter consultations compared to GPs without reduced accomplishment. Conclusions: Consultations of GPs with feelings of exhaustion, depersonalisation or dissatisfaction contain more elements that are important for the patient with psychological problems, suggesting a higher quality of psychological care. This higher quality may be attributed to GPs’ higher investments in their patients. To reduce GPs’ negative feelings, an attitude of ‘detached concern’ toward their patients is recommended to GPs.