The American Medical Association is working to fight systemic healthcare industry practices and policies that have led to over half of practicing physicians experiencing burnout and other mental health issues.
Some steps the American Medical Association are taking to support physician mental health are:
- Removing stigmatizing language from state licensing, credentialing and other applications and no longer asking for past medical diagnoses.
- Advocating for legislation that creates programs for healthcare professionals experiencing burnout or other mental health stressors that don't affect job status
- Ensuring state physician health program laws and policies provide confidentiality to professionals seeking care
- Establishing a national campaign to encourage healthcare professionals to prioritize their mental health
- Creating the AMA STEPS Forward resource, which provides tools and support for medical practice problems, ensuring staff well-being
- Researching best practices to reduce burnout among providers and patients