“…4 5 The COVID-19 pandemic has unsurprisingly had wide reaching impact on the health and well-being of healthcare professionals due to the additional stressors and uncertainties experienced. [6][7][8][9][10] Furthermore, there is a lack of research that is focused on lived experience. There is also a paucity of evidence with consultants in PCC who face unique challenges; they are required to manage staff and support a wider team, as well as having to make critical clinical decisions, often as the most senior member of a team.…”
Section: Strengths and Limitations Of This Studymentioning
confidence: 99%
“…To date, the literature has largely focused on nursing staff and trainee medical professionals 4 5. The COVID-19 pandemic has unsurprisingly had wide reaching impact on the health and well-being of healthcare professionals due to the additional stressors and uncertainties experienced 6–10. Furthermore, there is a lack of research that is focused on lived experience.…”
ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine the well-being experiences of consultants working in paediatric critical care (PCC) settings in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignQualitative design using individual interviews and thematic analysis.SettingPCC.ParticipantsEleven medical consultants working in PCC in a range of PCC settings/transport teams in the UK from nine units participated. Participants ranged in years of experience as a consultant from four to 23 years.MethodsA set of open semistructured questions were used to elicit information about participants’ experiences of workplace well-being. Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed.FindingsThematic analysis identified six themes and data saturation was reached. These were as follows: (1) positive and negative impact of working during COVID-19, (2) job satisfaction and public scrutiny in the unique environment of PCC, (3) supporting the workforce through modified shift work, (4) perceptions of support and recognition offered from the hospital management, (5) successful coping strategies are personal and adaptive, and (6) importance of civility and good teamworkConclusionFindings show that consultants’ well-being is challenged in a number of ways and that the solutions to the problem of burn-out are multifaceted. Action is required from individual consultants, clinical teams, hospital management and national regulatory bodies. Our work corroborates the recent General Medical Council report highlighting doctors’ core needs for well-being: autonomy, belonging, competence. Burn-out is a long-term problem, requiring sustainable solutions. Future research needs to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions to improve consultants’ well-being. Trials of effectiveness need to present evidence that will persuade hospital management to invest in their consultants’ well-being within the economic context of reduced budgets and limited PCC workforce.
“…4 5 The COVID-19 pandemic has unsurprisingly had wide reaching impact on the health and well-being of healthcare professionals due to the additional stressors and uncertainties experienced. [6][7][8][9][10] Furthermore, there is a lack of research that is focused on lived experience. There is also a paucity of evidence with consultants in PCC who face unique challenges; they are required to manage staff and support a wider team, as well as having to make critical clinical decisions, often as the most senior member of a team.…”
Section: Strengths and Limitations Of This Studymentioning
confidence: 99%
“…To date, the literature has largely focused on nursing staff and trainee medical professionals 4 5. The COVID-19 pandemic has unsurprisingly had wide reaching impact on the health and well-being of healthcare professionals due to the additional stressors and uncertainties experienced 6–10. Furthermore, there is a lack of research that is focused on lived experience.…”
ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine the well-being experiences of consultants working in paediatric critical care (PCC) settings in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignQualitative design using individual interviews and thematic analysis.SettingPCC.ParticipantsEleven medical consultants working in PCC in a range of PCC settings/transport teams in the UK from nine units participated. Participants ranged in years of experience as a consultant from four to 23 years.MethodsA set of open semistructured questions were used to elicit information about participants’ experiences of workplace well-being. Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed.FindingsThematic analysis identified six themes and data saturation was reached. These were as follows: (1) positive and negative impact of working during COVID-19, (2) job satisfaction and public scrutiny in the unique environment of PCC, (3) supporting the workforce through modified shift work, (4) perceptions of support and recognition offered from the hospital management, (5) successful coping strategies are personal and adaptive, and (6) importance of civility and good teamworkConclusionFindings show that consultants’ well-being is challenged in a number of ways and that the solutions to the problem of burn-out are multifaceted. Action is required from individual consultants, clinical teams, hospital management and national regulatory bodies. Our work corroborates the recent General Medical Council report highlighting doctors’ core needs for well-being: autonomy, belonging, competence. Burn-out is a long-term problem, requiring sustainable solutions. Future research needs to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions to improve consultants’ well-being. Trials of effectiveness need to present evidence that will persuade hospital management to invest in their consultants’ well-being within the economic context of reduced budgets and limited PCC workforce.
“…Recent studies have highlighted the need to address trainee wellness in the era of COVID-19. [13][14][15][16] The future of this generation of trainees remains a black box that we will continue to need to assess thoughtfully. This article is an important step forward in uncovering the impacts this pandemic has had on our trainees.…”
Coronavirus disease 2019 and pediatrics residency training: before 2020, it was difficult to imagine a public health crisis that could so immediately bring critical aspects of health care and society to a grinding halt. Yet slightly more than a year into the pandemic, we are still seeing significant disruptions in health care and society due to the pandemic. In this issue of Hospital Pediatrics, Geanacopoulos et al 1 evaluated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric residents in the emergency department, ICU step-down unit, and hospitalist settings in one training program. The authors determined that residents provided care for fewer patients on their emergency department and hospitalist services, worked fewer shifts, and had decreased exposure to common respiratory and gastrointestinal diagnoses. Although residency programs often rely heavily on experiential learning while also integrating didactic learning, during the pandemic many programs had to shift their focus within education by creating alternate experiences, such as the virtual curriculum this program created.Programs across all specialties are now reevaluating how they assess clinical competency and how they will achieve educational goals for trainees required of a residency program. [2][3][4][5][6][7] As pediatric residency leaders, we must balance the need to graduate residents on time with fulfilling our mission to provide a comprehensive training experience. The pandemic has created more questions around clinical competency than answers. We thus ask: How has the pandemic affected pediatric residents' clinical competency? In what areas can programs augment residency education to assure graduates are ready to practice without supervision? If we decide residents working fewer shifts and caring for fewer patients are still competent doctors, how does this impact the future of medical education? If we decide residents working fewer shifts and caring for fewer patients are less competent doctors, how should we address this problem for current residents? Our pediatrics community will need to evaluate competency ratings for trainees during the pandemic and determine if additional educational supports may be indicated.
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