Time to Revitalize
the Physician Lounge?
BY STEVE BARRETT
THEY'RE GONE OR are only a shell of
the hub of interaction they once were,
Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD, Vice-
Cha ir of t he R adiolog y Depa r tment
at India na Universit y, w rites in T he
Atlantic. Growing workloads and more
paperwork leave little time for physicians
to congregate in lounges, according to
Dr. Gunderman, and managers may see
time spent there as unproductive. He
laments that view.
"From a psychological point of view,
work is not just churning out widgets
l i ke a r ob ot on a n a s s embly l i ne ,"
Dr. Gunderman writes. "It is also a matter
of a‚liation, of building relationships
with colleagues, and of sharing profes-
sional and personal experiences."
Could lounges ma ke a comeback as
healthcare organizations combat physi-
cian burnout? Maybe, according to an
article on AMA Wire.
The Universit y of Ca lifor nia , Sa n
Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine
constructed an updated physician lounge
that has become "one of the most popular
interventions we've made to improve the
physician work experience," says Diane
Sliwka, MD, hospitalist and Professor of
Medicine at UCSF.
Sa ma ntha Got ta , interior desig ner
in hea lth ca re for desig n f irm Sta ntec,
offers tips for successful lounges.
+
High-tech, high-touch: Meld fea-
tures such a s internet access w it h
interaction-foster ing components
such as a coffee ba r.
+ Bright and cheer y: Boost provider
well-being by ma king natura l light
pa r t of the desig n.
+
A c c e s s ible : Po sit ion t he lou n ge
in a convenient location, a nd ma ke
it visible. ■
ARE PHYSICIAN LOUNGES GOING THE WAY OF THE EDSEL? IT DEPENDS ON WHOM YOU A SK.
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