Contributed: Helping clinicians fall back in love with practicing medicine should be digital health’s top priority

Carey is a family nurse practitioner and mom of three. Over the last year she would see up to 100 patients during each shift at her urgent care clinic. Her patients were often frustrated and impatient, and they sometimes refused to wear a mask. Last December she was exposed to COVID-19 when her protective gear broke after being reworn too many times. Carey ultimately missed spending Christmas with her family and her employer never checked up on her during the two-week quarantine period.  

After hearing Carey’s story, we can’t be surprised to learn that one-in-five COVID-affected healthcare workers are now weighing quitting the practice of medicine. This is especially concerning when considering we’re already facing a growing shortage of nearly 150,000 physicians in the next decade. 

While the alarm bells are ringing loudly, I also see an incredible opportunity for the digital health industry to step up to the plate and invest the time and resources into helping clinicians fall back in love with practicing medicine. 

The digital health industry can’t take for granted that doctors and nurses make the biggest impact in turning our big ideas into reality. Clinicians are the ones delivering care through our innovative apps, services, and devices, and we need to do our part to ensure they feel empowered and engaged. 

Addressing the well-known burden of paperwork and EHRs only goes so far. The digital health industry needs to weigh how we can holistically take care of those who take care of us — through mental health benefits, flexibility, and investments in training and tech for the next generation of care delivery.  It’s our turn to take care of those who take care of us. Simply put, we have no “Plan B” if we start to see growing numbers of clinicians – like Carey – opt out of practicing medicine. 

First, let’s change the conversation around mental health. Clinicians have historically struggled with mental health issues, working long hours in a physically and emotionally demanding profession. Nearly 79% of clinicians said they were experiencing burnout before the pandemic. The toll and trauma of the pandemic has only served to create a perfect storm with Dr. Lorna Breen’s tragic story underpinning the severity of mental illness in the medical community. While more than 1 in 2 healthcare workers said they struggled with sleep issues and increased substance use over the last year, only 13% received help and support. Even more concerning, our system actively discourages clinicians from speaking out and asking for help. State medical boards have the ability to access confidential health records when determining whether to grant or revoke a clinician their license. Just as many employers are making mental health services easily available and affordable to employees, digital health companies that work with clinicians should actively address the fear and stigma in the medical community while also ensuring resources are on hand.

Second, recognize that clinicians are often caregivers in more ways than one. As the founder of a virtual care company, I wasn’t surprised to learn that more than 70% of the clinicians I work with are parents and caregivers. The reality is that virtual care provides clinicians with a new way to practice medicine – a way that doesn’t force them to choose between family and flexibility or a career. I’m familiar with Carey’s story because she decided to work in virtual care full-time so she can more easily manage both of her caregiver roles with her patients and with her family. At the same time, virtual care only goes so far to support the concept of work-life balance. We need to collectively work together and advocate for long overdue policies on affordable childcare and adequate paid family leave with these same healthcare workers in mind. After more than a year of serving on the front lines in a high-risk environment, we can no longer ask any clinician to decide between their profession and keeping their family safe and healthy.

Finally, invest in simplifying patient care for the next generation of care delivery. Consumers have come to expect simplicity and user-friendly technology in both our personal and work lives. At the same time, healthcare providers of all shapes and sizes continue to offer clinicians antiquated versions of technology that force them to work longer hours on “paperwork” and less time helping patients. Investing in seamless and simplified tech experiences is only the first step. With clinicians now seeing 50 to 175 times the number of patients virtually than they did before the pandemic, clinicians also deserve training and support for today’s healthcare experiences. It is critical that the health and technology industries work together to arm clinicians with the tools, support and time to prioritize patient care, engagement, and relationship building for in-person and virtual care environments.  

Now, more than a year into the pandemic, the days of cheering from our windows and banging on pots and pans are long gone. The pandemic inflicted an incomprehensible amount of trauma and pain on our healthcare workers, clearly demonstrating we are overdue for change. The digital health industry has an incredible opportunity to make a positive impact not only on clinicians but also the patients they serve and the families they themselves support.

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About the author 

Michelle Davey is co-founder and CEO of Wheel, a provider of white-labeled virtual care services.