BACKGROUND: Physicians are poorly trained in balancing the demands of a career in medicine and maintaining personal health. Physician burnout occurs due to demanding hours and psychological conditions unique to the field. Programs that address overall well-being early in residency are necessary to prevent physician burnout and promote physician mental health. OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of a wellness initiative on anxiety, depression, quality of life, and sleepiness among the resident participants. METHODS: A wellness program was initiated and available to resident physicians in the Medical University of South Carolina Department of Neurosurgery. Participants attended weekly group workout sessions with biweekly lectures on mental health and sleep hygiene. Eight resident participants underwent baseline and final psychological testing in July 2015 and June 2016 including the Personal Health Questionnaire Depression Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale, the Quality of Life Scale, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Participant perceptions of the program were also assessed with an anonymous survey. RESULTS: At the conclusion of the pilot year, improvements were observed in anxiety scores (4 to 2.1; P = .039), quality-of-life scores (82.4 to 95.4; P = .007), and sleepiness (8.3 to 5.7; P = .019). In general, resident perceptions of the program were favorable. CONCLUSION: Residency-incorporated wellness programs are achievable and can benefit resident mental health. Lack of a control group limits the interpretation of the results. Programs such as these may be implemented to promote well-being and combat physician burnout and its associated mental health abnormalities.
BACKGROUND: Physicians are poorly trained in balancing the demands of a career in medicine and maintaining personal health. Physician burnout occurs due to demanding hours and psychological conditions unique to the field. Programs that address overall well-being early in residency are necessary to prevent physician burnout and promote physician mental health. OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of a wellness initiative on anxiety, depression, quality of life, and sleepiness among the resident participants. METHODS: A wellness program was initiated and available to resident physicians in the Medical University of South Carolina Department of Neurosurgery. Participants attended weekly group workout sessions with biweekly lectures on mental health and sleep hygiene. Eight resident participants underwent baseline and final psychological testing in July 2015 and June 2016 including the Personal Health Questionnaire Depression Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale, the Quality of Life Scale, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Participant perceptions of the program were also assessed with an anonymous survey. RESULTS: At the conclusion of the pilot year, improvements were observed in anxiety scores (4 to 2.1; P = .039), quality-of-life scores (82.4 to 95.4; P = .007), and sleepiness (8.3 to 5.7; P = .019). In general, resident perceptions of the program were favorable. CONCLUSION: Residency-incorporated wellness programs are achievable and can benefit resident mental health. Lack of a control group limits the interpretation of the results. Programs such as these may be implemented to promote well-being and combat physician burnout and its associated mental health abnormalities.
Authors: Katherine Elizabeth Hekman; Max V Wohlauer; Gregory A Magee; Christine L Shokrzadeh; Kellie R Brown; Christopher G Carsten; Rabih Chaer; Omid Jazaeri; Andy M Lee; Niten Singh; Dawn M Coleman Journal: J Vasc Surg Date: 2019-05-27 Impact factor: 4.268
Authors: Kelly Williamson; Patrick M Lank; Nicholas Hartman; Dave W Lu; Natasha Wheaton; Jennifer Cash; Jeremy Branzetti; Elise O Lovell Journal: AEM Educ Train Date: 2019-10-06
Authors: Patrick D Kelly; Aaron M Yengo-Kahn; Steven G Roth; Scott L Zuckerman; Rohan V Chitale; John C Wellons; Lola B Chambless Journal: Neurosurgery Date: 2021-10-13 Impact factor: 5.315
Authors: Zach Pennington; Daniel Lubelski; Adham M Khalafallah; Jeff Ehresman; Daniel M Sciubba; Timothy F Witham; Judy Huang Journal: World Neurosurg Date: 2020-05-22 Impact factor: 2.104
Authors: Lauren A Gaston-Hawkins; Francisco A Solorio; Grace F Chao; Carmen Renee' Green Journal: Curr Psychiatry Rep Date: 2020-11-28 Impact factor: 5.285