| Popis: |
Therapeutic Area: Preventive Cardiology Best Practices – clinic operations, team approaches, outcomes research Background: Physician burnout is an ongoing epidemic and can lead to increased depression and suicide risk. Burnout occurs in physicians of all ages, but residents and fellows are at increased risk. Approximately five resident physicians per year commit suicide. This has profound implications, as early-career burnout may predict a greater risk for physicians to leave healthcare or turn to self-medication. Individuals with positive psychological health exhibit a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, whereas prolonged experiences of depression, anxiety, and chronic stress may predispose individuals to adverse cardiovascular events. The ACGME emphasizes the importance of well-being by adding “Physician Well-Being” to its core initiatives. In this study, we aim to highlight initiatives which can be undertaken to improve physician wellbeing. Methods: This study was designed to incorporate feedback from 6 residency and fellowship programs in USA. These programs were selected based on innovative wellness initiatives. Residents and fellows were surveyed for their feedback on the impact of these initiatives on their wellbeing and mental health. Results: Having mental health days in addition to paid time off and sick leave had a highly positive impact on the physicians’ well-being with around 88.6 % of the responses recording the same. Similar results were seen with the availability of fresh and healthy free food for physicians. Majority of the responses indicated that wellness meetings through online platforms had no impact at all on physician wellbeing while wellness events like parties and get togethers had a moderately positive impact on physician wellbeing. Having in-house entertainment like music, TV and radio in the resident/ fellow lounge was also found to have a moderately positive impact on most physicians. Conclusions: The findings help us understand the changes that can be implemented for resident wellness. Further research on a grander scale is warranted to evaluate individual-level, program-wide, and institutional interventions help prevent resident and fellow physician burnout. |
