Self care and tech adoption.

Self care comes in many forms. Avoiding stress must be one of the most appealing. Multiple surveys have cited 'burn out' as a massive cause for concern among GPs and trainee GPs. Well, with the arrival of Covid19 no matter who you are, that burn out is likely to be looking you in the eye right now. So pause, breathe and look it back in the eye. Remind yourself that you know how to not just work hard, but work smart. Taking care of yourself is the number one smart move for you, your patients and your family. Be proud that you are part of an amazing team and tell yourself it's now time to make life easier, smoother and less stressful. Technology is supposed to make life easier, however in a high pressure environment learning new technology can be stressful. Training guides and instructions are not the same as an 'in the field' experiences, so when you start using it and it doesn't work or it's a bit clunky, the energy spent seems such a waste of critical time. Quite rightly this can prompt you to feel fearful or stressed next time around or mean you avoid using it all together. With so much rapid change being part of our everyday, the kindest, smartest, most helpful and stress reducing thing do is make time to master the technology. An investment that can save time and improve your sense of connection and continuity with your patients. Video calls have increased the number of people that can be seen safely by GPs and of course video adoption is an obvious step in the right direction, but as we know, when 'computer says no' the stress levels rise very quickly. Just like medicine, there is a manual, but the patients haven't read it. Video consultations are a whole new skill set of not just being a doctor, but being a video call host. Its not just about pressing the right buttons, or fixing the lighting, there are all manner of tiny little skills that can be mastered to make your web-side manner as good as your bedside manner. Most of these critical time and stress saving skills can be learned in just one or a couple of 15 minute training sessions. The kindness to yourself of feeling confident and in control is self care that protects from future burnout. In an ever-changing world, practising with technology is a learning habit that will stand you in good stead. Whether you practice to develop safer video consulting techniques, slicker video consulting techniques, because you are one of the many technically challenged among us, because your 'soft skills' go a bit haywire when via video, or because you want to work from home, video is here to stay so treat yourself to making it your friend. Make self care part of your new normal. We're here to help. www.avatarjo.co.uk/medical. We genuinely care that our service supports your health as well as that of your patients.