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Shifts in Health Care and Clinician Fortitude

Recently, I had a conversation with some close friends—both medical practitioners—who revealed something quietly concerning: They are not opposing changes in health care. They’re simply fatigued from the relentless need to adapt while sacrificing the core reasons that drew them to the medical field initially.

“I invest more time in documentation than in actually attending to my patients.”

“Just when I get used to one system, a different one comes along.”

These remarks lingered in my mind—not merely as grievances, but as admissions. With my background in organizational development and change, I immediately saw the underlying concern: We’re not solely asking healthcare providers to embrace new systems—we’re requiring them to mourn what has been lost, without any time to process their feelings.

In the realm of health care, the incorporation of technology has resulted in significant advancements: Digital records, AI-driven diagnostics, virtual consultations. However, it has also added a new level of emotional and psychological stress. Behind these streamlined processes are individuals—healthcare providers who must bear the weight of ongoing change while striving to remain present, compassionate, and effective.

It’s not a reluctance to advancement. It’s a reluctance to fragmentation.

As reported by JAMA Internal Medicine (2023), physicians are now dedicating almost twice as much time to electronic health records as they do to in-person interactions with patients. This transition is reshaping medicine into a profession dominated by screens and protocols, where personal connections often become secondary to compliance.

And it’s not just the senior cohort feeling this pressure.

Experienced physicians are retiring early—not from a lack of ability or unwillingness to adapt, but because the essence of their profession seems absent. A 2022 study indicated that 63 percent of physicians over 50 cited loss of autonomy and relational care as factors for their exit.

Young physicians may be more adept with technology, but they enter a workforce with diminished chances to cultivate their bedside manner or establish trust with patients in a system designed for efficiency rather than empathy. According to Pew Research, newer clinicians express feeling less equipped to navigate emotionally complex patient interactions—even as they thrive in digital settings.

We’ve come to accept burnout rather than mitigate it.

Hospitals roll out new platforms every 6 to 18 months, frequently with minimal consideration for emotional consequences or psychological acclimatization. Training is quick. Integration is superficial. Debriefing is infrequent. The outcome is persistent, low-level resistance—where providers feel exhausted, not intentionally oppositional.

As someone who has studied psychological change and resistance, I assert that the answer isn’t solely about improving tools—it’s about respecting the human transition inherent in every system upgrade.

Steps we can take, now:

• Anticipate emotional transitions, not just technical ones.
• Utilize frameworks like William Bridges’ Transition Model to comprehend what individuals must relinquish—not just what they must acquire.
• Create opportunities for reflection.
  • Frequent check-ins or team debriefs—even short ones—help alleviate burnout by providing staff a platform to express concerns and reconnect.
• Exhibit vulnerability.
  • When leaders acknowledge challenges and welcome inquiries, it enhances psychological safety.
• Bridge the generational divide.
  • Senior physicians offer empathy and wisdom; younger physicians contribute innovation and speed. Mentorship can unite them.
• Reconnect clinicians with their “why.”
  • Narratives, impactful patient moments, and shared values assist clinicians in re-establishing their purpose.

Let’s strive to enhance, not just expedite.

Health care innovation is here to stay, and it should be. But if we fail to construct systems that value the individuals using them, we will continue to lose skilled professionals—not to incompetence, but to emotional burnout.

Technology can advance us—but only if we also proceed with compassion.

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