Rates of provider turnover, burnout ‘creating crises’ in radiology departments. Experts suggest a solution
Rates of provider turnover and burnout—along with related staffing shortages—are “creating crises” in radiology departments across the U.S. But imaging experts have a potential solution, according to new research published Tuesday in Radiology [1].
Implementing a “positive leadership program” within Michigan Medicine’s Department of Radiology has led to improvements in workplace climate perception and employee engagement, along with reducing burnout and their intent to leave.
The program focuses on leadership communication, with Michigan first initiating the effort in its breast imaging unit three years ago.
“Positively Energizing Leadership is a previously validated training program that instructs leaders on the key principles of leading to engage, elevate and energize their employees,” Amy M. Young, PhD, a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and co-authors wrote May 14. “Leaders who demonstrate these positive leadership principles are more likely to have direct reports with higher levels of engagement, performance and commitment to the organization.”
The prospective study was conducted in two parts. Young and colleagues administered an initial web-based survey to faculty and staff in the breast imaging unit in February 2021. Their goal was to identify the connections between leaders’ behaviors, workplace climate and healthcare worker outcomes. Researchers then conducted a second survey in February 2023 to determine whether the program had an impact.
Nearly 90 individuals filled out both surveys for a response rate north of 91%. Leadership communication was associated with a positive workplace climate, which in turn was tied to improved engagement and reductions in both burnout and intent to leave. At the end of the two-year program, Young and co-authors observed improved perceptions around leadership communication, workplace climate and employee engagement, alongside reductions in burnout and turnover.
In a corresponding editorial [2], radiologist James H. Thrall, MD, said the study contains “important insights into key building blocks for designing effective leadership development programs and achieving positive organizational change.”
“Each healthcare provider organization works under its own unique circumstances. Challenges and goals differ. Administrative structures and governance also differ. Because of this, no single formula or list of topics for leadership development is likely to meet everyone’s needs,” wrote Thrall, who is an expert in radiology leadership and the Distinguished Taveras Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. “However, the principles adopted by Young et al. of buy-in at the top and focusing on effective leadership communication, applying an inclusive team approach, and providing an avenue for practical implementation with feedback and mentoring are highly worthwhile building blocks for program design. They should be considered by anyone embarking on the quest to develop more effective leaders and to strengthen organizational resilience.”
Read much more in the flagship journal of the Radiological Society of North America at the link below.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.