The Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine (CHARM), a group of leading medical centers and organizations that includes the American Medical Association, has created the Charter on Physician Well-Being as a catalyst for addressing the growing problem of physician burnout. The Charter was published online today in The JAMA Network.

The president of the AMA today issued the following statement strongly supporting the Charter:

Statement attributed to AMA President David O. Barbe, M.D., M.H.A.
"Achieving national health goals depends on an energized, engaged, and resilient physician workforce. But the mounting burdens of the modern health care delivery system are taking a toll on physicians by contributing to the growing problem of work-induced burnout and emotional fatigue. The American Medical Association is committed to restoring joy in medicine, a goal we share with the other founding members of the Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine. The AMA strongly supports the Charter and its declaration that the nation is best served by a health system that promotes professional fulfillment by allowing physicians to meet their patients' needs for high-quality care."

As a member of CHARM, the AMA has pledged a continued commitment to the preventing burnout and helping physicians succeed in their life's work of caring for patients.

Through its ongoing work, the AMA is leading a necessary change in medicine that embraces physician well-being as a critical factor in the long-term clinical and economic success of our nation's health care system. The AMA committed to helping physician practices thrive so they can continue to put patients and offer tools, information and resources designed to successfully prevent burnout and promote well-being for medical professionals. The AMA's STEPS Forward™ collection of practice improvement strategies helps physicians make transformative changes to their practices that can rekindle a joy in medicine. It offers 50 online modules that help physicians adopt medical practice solutions to reignite professional fulfillment and resilience.

For more useful information the AMA makes available on physician wellness, please visit AMA Wire.