Clinical Scorecard: CULTIVATING-SELF-CARE: Making the case

At a Glance

Key Highlights

• Approximately one in three optometrists report symptoms of burnout, reflecting a broader epidemic among healthcare workers.
• Engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors such as regular physical activity, balanced diet, adequate sleep, and stress reduction can prevent up to 80% of chronic diseases.
• Forming new health habits takes on average 30 to 66 days; setting achievable goals and using visual reminders supports sustained behavior change.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

• Recognize symptoms of burnout and mental health issues among healthcare professionals.
• Assess lifestyle behaviors related to physical activity, nutrition, sleep, smoking, alcohol intake, and stress management.

Management

• Encourage self-reflection on current self-care practices and prioritize meaningful, joyful activities.
• Adopt one healthy lifestyle behavior at a time with healthcare provider approval.
• Set specific, measurable goals for behavior change over 30 to 66 days.
• Incorporate stress-reduction techniques such as deep abdominal breathing and mindfulness.

Monitoring & Follow-up

• Track progress toward self-care goals using visual cues and daily reminders.
• Allow for occasional lapses without guilt and resume activities promptly.
• Regularly reassess self-care priorities and adjust goals as needed.

Risks

• Ignoring self-care increases risk for burnout, mental health problems, suicide, and chronic diseases.
• Behavioral change often occurs only after crisis or emotional triggers, emphasizing the need for proactive self-care.

Patient & Prescribing Data

Healthcare professionals and individuals at risk for chronic diseases

Incremental improvements in self-care behaviors with provider support can reduce burnout and prevent chronic disease development.

Clinical Best Practices

• Promote self-care as a necessity rather than a luxury to improve well-being and longevity.
• Use goal-setting strategies with visual reminders to facilitate habit formation.
• Encourage guilt-free resumption of self-care activities after missed days.
• Support stress-reduction practices including mindfulness and controlled breathing.
• Engage healthcare providers in endorsing and guiding self-care behavior changes.

References

• Physician and Nurse Well-Being and Preferred Interventions to Address Burnout in Hospital Practice
• Suicidal Ideation and Attitudes Toward Help Seeking in U.S. Nurses
• Health Worker-Perceived Working Conditions and Symptoms of Poor Mental Health
• Suicide Rates Among Physicians Compared with the General Population
• Resilience and Burnout Among Physicians and the General US Working Population
• Preventing Chronic Diseases: What You Can Do Now - CDC
• Guidance on Alcoholic Beverages in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
• Sleep: Healthy People 2030
• Mindfulness and Physical Disease: A Concise Review