Leveraging Positive Deviance to Transform Clinician Well-Being
In the realm of health care, the well-being of clinicians is recognized as a critical issue. Rising rates of burnout, depression and professional dissatisfaction pose risks not only to a clinician’s personal health but also to patient outcomes, team dynamics and organizational stability.
The data on burnout among health care professionals is overwhelming, highlighting the staggering percentages of individuals affected. The World Health Organization defines burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” stemming from chronic, unmanaged workplace stress (a reality that may now feel disturbingly normalized in the field).¹
However, there are some resources, programs and services that support clinician well-being. A recent study published in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety looked to determine the proportion of Joint Commission accredited hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) measuring and addressing clinician well-being. About half of the responding organizations reported implementing some intervention to tackle clinician burnout, 34% conducted an organizational well-being assessment among clinicians and only 28.7% had adopted a comprehensive approach to address clinician well-being/burnout.²
The Benefits of Positive Deviance
Taking a comprehensive approach to well-being can feel daunting, and even well-meaning interventions often provide only temporary relief. Amid these complexities, positive deviance has emerged as a promising solution. This “strength-based” approach focuses on identifying and amplifying the actions, mindsets and habits of individuals or groups who succeed against the odds.
In health care, positive deviance means uncovering “what’s going right” by identifying clinicians who maintain high levels of well-being and professional fulfillment, even within the same high-pressure environments that contribute to burnout. By studying these outliers, organizations can uncover often-overlooked practices and strategies. Once identified, these behaviors can be shared and adapted to benefit the broader health care system. This approach is not new to health care and has already been applied in settings like primary care to improve patient safety and care quality—proving its potential to drive meaningful change.³
Accordant’s ethos approach focuses on developing, teaching and implementing evidence-based practices to enhance well-being initiatives. These initiatives aim to empower individuals, strengthen medical teams and positively impact health care organizations and the communities they serve.
The Intersection of Positive Deviance and ethos
The term “ethos” originates from Greek meaning “character” or “spirit.” Accordant’s ethos approach helps identify the virtues, values, principles and culture that define a group or organization. In health care, ethos is deeply tied to service, compassion and excellence. However, the modern health care environment—with its emphasis on efficiency, documentation and cost containment—often dilutes this ethos, creating a disconnect between clinicians and the core values that originally drew them to their professions.
To improve clinician well-being, it is essential to re-establish a culture that aligns with an authentic ethos. This requires a shift from focusing on transactional relationships and metrics-driven priorities to focusing on connection, meaning and shared purpose. When applied to clinician well-being, positive deviance naturally aligns with the core values of health care. Accordant’s ethos approach leverages this alignment by focusing on the following key concepts to foster meaningful change:
Rediscovering Purpose and Meaning: Even amidst systemic challenges, a strong sense of purpose serves as a powerful protective factor. Individuals can flourish by finding purpose and meaning in patient interactions, peer-to-peer relationships, shared values, mentorship or research. Organizations play a vital role in reigniting this collective ethos.
Building Resilient Communities: Positive deviance emphasizes the value of community-driven solutions, aligning with health care’s collaborative ethos. When clinicians share best practices and support one another, they reinforce a culture of unity and resilience.
Humanizing the Profession: Health care’s ethos is rooted in humanity—caring for others with empathy and compassion. Positive deviance highlights behaviors that humanize the profession, such as creating meaningful patient connections and fostering a culture of gratitude.
Empowering Grassroots Innovation: Positive deviance thrives on grassroots innovation, empowering individuals to take ownership of their well-being. This empowerment reflects the ethos of autonomy and professional agency that many clinicians value.
Positive deviance offers a refreshing, strengths-based approach to improving clinician well-being. Implementing positive deviance requires the commitment of senior leadership and shared resources to ensure sustainable success. From initial steps to program development, analysis and long-term impact, Accordant is here to help your health care organization integrate positive deviance into your clinician well-being strategy.
About the Author: Linda Roszak Burton BS, BBC, ACC, is a Principal Consultant and a certified executive coach and health and well-being coach with Accordant. She is the author of Gratitude Heals: A Journal for Inspiration and Guidance. Her TEDx Talk on the Power of Gratitude was released in 2022. You can reach her at Linda@AccordantHealth.com and through LinkedIn.
