Physician wellness encompasses a range of behaviors, attitudes, and practices that help support patient care and minimize burnout through self-care. Physician burnout, a work-related syndrome involving emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of reduced personal accomplishment[1] is estimated to affect more than 50% of practicing physicians, at an annual cost of more than $17 billion in lost work, patient care errors, and turnover[2],[3], and is associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation among physicians.[4] The 8 domains of wellness—physical, emotional, social, spiritual, financial, intellectual, occupational, and environmental—offer a schema for describing optimal balance.

Hospitalist roles offer protection in some realms of wellness, such as social and emotional well-being with decreased or absent home call. Other elements of the hospitalist model may be a threat to wellness, such as stress associated with a high acuity clinical environment or fatigue associated with working night shifts, 24-hour shifts, or inconsistent work schedules. Wellness is correlated with patient care. For example, wellness is associated with clinical performance in high-acuity situations, interprofessional teamwork, and physician retention and job satisfaction. The latter 2 have a profound effect on patient safety, as disruption of established, effective teams negatively impacts patient care. Given the nature of hospitalist work, it is vital for OB/GYN hospitalists to maintain personal wellness through focused attention and use of resources. Furthermore, as leaders of health care teams, OB/GYN hospitalists should be advocates for wellness-centered cultures in the workplace.