Remote shifts boost radiologist well-being and dilute physician burnout
Hybrid schedules that enable radiologists to work from home might be the solution to dampening physician burnout.
More than half of radiologists at Penn State Hershey Medical Center who participated in a flex schedule that enabled them to work from home part time reported that the schedule improved their clinical and academic productivity and positively influenced their impressions of their institution. Based on the burnout surveys staff completed both before and after the hybrid schedule implementation, those who participated in the change experienced better overall work/life balance as well. And the benefits of teleradiology don’t stop with employee well-being, they show up in turnaround times and clinical workflows too, the authors of a new study in Clinical Radiology report.
“Teleradiology, first practiced in the 1990s, can minimize workroom interruptions,” corresponding author Jonelle M. Petscavage-Thomas, MD, MPH, Professor of Radiology, Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs and Director of Medical Image Management at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, and co-authors explained. “Whereas prior to the pandemic, internal teleradiology was primarily used for on-call and weekend coverage this changed rapidly in March 2020 as many radiology practices moved to or increased their use of internal teleradiology to ensure a reserve of radiologists with lower exposure to COVID-19 who could sustain operations.”
As the world settles into the endemic stage of COVID, radiologists at Penn State Hershey Medical Center are continuing to work using a hybrid internal teleradiology model that was introduced during the early phase of the pandemic to mitigate spread of the virus. The schedule consists of procedural and educational attendings alternating working in the hospital or remotely to keep the worklist clean. Recently, the institution distributed faculty wellness/burnout surveys to measure the hybrid schedule’s success according to staff, in addition to comparing differences in report turnaround times (RTAT) recorded during remote shifts.
Report turnaround times saw a significant improvement for CT and MRI exams completed in ED and inpatient settings and for inpatient ultrasounds and radiographs when interpreted remotely compared to in-hospital reads. Faculty wellness scores also benefited from the hybrid schedule, with 74% of respondents praising the autonomy and flexibility it offered, and 51% revealing that it positively influenced their desire to remain at the institution. Increases in productivity were also observed during remote shifts.
“Hybrid work from home solutions allow faculty autonomy and flexibility with work-life balance," the authors wrote. “The hybrid solution also demonstrated improved patient care metrics, possibly due to decreased distractions at home compared to the reading room.”
In addition to the wellness and workflow benefits, the authors of the study cite various financial and environmental advantages to hybrid remote schedules.
View the full survey results in Academic Radiology.
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In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.