Annals of Family Medicine: New Articles Highlight Team-Based Innovations That May Reduce Burnout and Improve Primary Care Efficiency

PROVIDENCE, R.I., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Annals of Family Medicine is excited to announce the publication of three innovative articles in the latest May/June 2024 issue that introduce team-based approaches to improve primary care efficiency and address physician burnout, a critical issue impacting health care quality and delivery. These articles present novel strategies in primary care and academic settings that aim to improve workflow and efficiency while potentially mitigating burnout.

Team-Based Management of High-Priority Messages Shown to Reduce Physician Burnout

In this article, a clinical team from the University of Michigan's Department of Family Medicine describes a system to manage high-priority in-basket messages collaboratively. Physicians shared inbox access and rotated the workload, reportedly reducing feelings of burnout. This approach aims to ensure urgent patient concerns are promptly addressed without overwhelming individual physicians.

Utilizing Medical Assistants to Manage Patient Portal Messages Shown to Support Practice and Physician Efficiency

Dr. Jennifer N. Lee, MD, and her team at Penn Family Care, part of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Penn Medicine, introduced a model where certified medical assistants triage and distribute incoming patient messages. This initiative reduced the number of messages sent directly to primary care physicians by 40%, improving practice and clinician efficiency. Medical assistants maintained high response rates, potentially alleviating the burden on physicians and supporting a team-based care model.

Harmonizing Academic Missions in Family Medicine: One Department's Experience

This theory article presents a case example from the University of Minnesota Medical School, where the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health created a shared vision of harmonized missions. Historically, faculty had experienced care, education, and research missions as separate and isolated from each other, with ongoing tension as they were pulled in different directions by competing tasks and interests. The article highlights the department's specific strategies for harmonizing missions, such as creating a harmonization group and applying simple rules for mission alignment. This approach improved faculty well-being and increased scholarly output, providing a model for a learning and adaptive health system.

Why It Matters

Physician burnout is a critical issue affecting health care delivery, patient outcomes, and clinician well-being. These articles emphasize the importance of team-based care, workflow innovations, and systematic changes. Innovations that optimize team-based care may achieve both improved clinical effectiveness and reduce physician burnout.

Articles Cited:

Team-Based Management of High-Priority In-Basket Messages
Gregory Shumer, MD, MHSA, Anup Bhandiwad, MD, MS, John Holkeboer, Lauren Marshall, MPH, MPP

Utilizing Medical Assistants to Manage Patient Portal Messages
Jennifer N. Lee, MD, Laura Kurash, MD, Max Yang, Joseph Teel, MD, FAAFP 

Harmonizing the Tripartite Mission in Academic Family Medicine: A Longitudinal Case Example
C. J. Peek, PhD, Michele Allen, Katie A. Loth, Peter G. Harper, Casey Martin, James T. Pacala, Angela Buffington, Jerica M. Berge, PhD, MPH, LMFT, CFLE

Annals of Family Medicine is a peer-reviewed, indexed research journal that provides a cross-disciplinary forum for new, evidence-based information affecting the primary care disciplines. Launched in May 2003, Annals of Family Medicine is sponsored by seven family medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Board of Family Medicine, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, the North American Primary Care Research Group, and the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Annals of Family Medicine is published online six times each year and contains original research from the clinical, biomedical, social, and health services areas, as well as contributions on methodology and theory, selected reviews, essays, and editorials. Complete editorial content and interactive discussion groups for each published article can be accessed for free on the journal's website, www.AnnFamMed.org.

SOURCE Annals of Family Medicine