Evidence mapPaperPMID 41668192Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2026

Using lifestyle medicine to treat patients can reduce practitioner burnout: a conceptual model derived from healthcare staff interviews.

Bruce Weeks, Micaela C Karlsen, Samantha M Sundermeir, Kara L Staffier, Meghan L Ames, Tyler Hemmingson, Neve Durrwachter, Melissa Reznar, Joel Gittelsohn

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Article in BMC health services research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Bruce WeeksAmerican College of Lifestyle Medicine, P.O. Box 6432, Chesterfield, MO, 63006, USA.
Micaela C KarlsenAmerican College of Lifestyle Medicine, P.O. Box 6432, Chesterfield, MO, 63006, USA. research@lifestylemedicine.org.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9365-151X
Samantha M SundermeirJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4471-0621
Kara L StaffierAmerican College of Lifestyle Medicine, P.O. Box 6432, Chesterfield, MO, 63006, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0998-1178
Meghan L AmesJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0083-8159
Tyler HemmingsonAmerican College of Lifestyle Medicine, P.O. Box 6432, Chesterfield, MO, 63006, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9251-345X
Neve DurrwachterJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9188-6585
Melissa ReznarSchool of Public Health Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6304-3943
Joel GittelsohnJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2761-3280

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHealthcare worker burnout is pervasive and negatively impacts practitioner and patient health. Lifestyle medicine (LM) is a burgeoning field that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions to treat or prevent chronic diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Greater LM practice has previously been shown to predict less burnout among LM practitioners. There is a need to further investigate the relationship between practitioner burnout and using LM to treat patients. This study examines healthcare workers' views to develop a conceptual model to describe how employing LM to treat patients impacts practitioners.

methodsThis study is a qualitative, thematic analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews of forty-two staff members from five health systems in the United States that are implementing LM. Transcripts of in-depth interviews were analyzed for themes related to burnout.

resultsStaff interviewed included physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, psychologists, health coaches, and others. Staff described a positive reaction to, and increased job satisfaction following, LM implementation in their healthcare systems. Identified factors that might reduce healthcare worker burnout include meaningful patient improvement, increased patient empowerment, enhanced patient satisfaction, providers' heightened joy/job satisfaction, providers' belief that LM is how medicine should be practiced, and pride and gratitude due to their organization's support of LM. These factors are related to the three elements of burnout - exhaustion, detachment, reduced feelings of professional efficacy - in a conceptual model.

conclusionsImplementing LM in healthcare systems can potentially reduce burnout in practitioners who believe that LM is an enjoyable and effective discipline. It may do this by creating work circumstances and patient outcomes leading providers to report greater professional joy, an improved sense of professional meaningfulness, and a strengthened conviction of being an effective healthcare worker.

Indexed as

Burnout, ProfessionalHealth PersonnelLife StyleAdultAttitude of Health PersonnelFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicJob SatisfactionMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchUnited StatesBurnoutIn-depth interviewLifestyle medicinePhysician burnoutPhysician well-being

Identifiers

PMID41668192
PMCPMC12905923

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.