Ishwaria Subbiah: Staggering statistic calls out medicine’s culture of constant accessibility

Ishwaria Subbiah posted the following on LinkedIn:

“Do you work while on vacation? Here’s the staggering statistic that calls out medicine’s culture of constant accessibility:

Spending 30 minutes or more per day on patient-related work during vacation was associated with significantly higher odds of burnout.

• OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.22–2.04 for 30–60 mins/day
• OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.41–2.77 for 60–90 mins/day
• OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.36–2.73 for >90 mins/day

Good news: having full EHR inbox coverage while on vacation lowered the odds of burnout! (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.63–0.88)

Organizations can neutralize the harm from healthcare’s culture of constant accessibility by ensuring adequate clinical coverage during time off and by creating straightforward PTO and related compensation policies that are broadly disseminated and clearly communicated.

Find these and other pearls in the AMA Toolkit.

Read the 2023 study of over 3000 physicians in JAMA Network Open.”

Ishwaria Subbiah is the Executive Director for Cancer Care Equity and Professional Wellness at Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI). She is also the medical director of supportive care oncology, health equity and professional well being at The US Oncology Network.

Dr. Subbiah focuses on reducing cancer outcomes disparities and diversifying clinical trial participation within SCRI’s combined research network of over more than 1,300 physicians at over 250 locations in 24 states across the US. Dr. Subbiah is a globally recognized expert in geriatric oncology, symptom management, palliative care, and healthcare professional well-being. She previously was an associate professor in the Division of Cancer Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is the Chair for the ASCO Women in Oncology working group and the ASCO State of Cancer Care in America initiative.