Effect of Online Psychological Intervention on Burnout in Medical Residents From Different Majors: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Background: Work-related stress among healthcare professionals poses a serious economic and healthcare burden. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of burnout as well as anxiety, depression, and stress in medical residents from different majors, and assess the effects of an online psychological intervention on the mental health status of medical residents with a high degree of burnout.Methods: We conducted an online survey that collected information on the demographics, mental health, and burnout conditions of medical residents from Shengjing Hospital. The mental health condition was assessed by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS)−21. Further, burnout was assessed by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Medical residents with a total MBI score between 50 and 75 were selected to receive online psychological intervention for 3 months.Results: Two-hundred and ten medical residents completed the questionnaire, of whom, 63 residents with an MBI score between 50 and 75 received the 3-month online psychological intervention. Anesthesia residents showed the highest level of depression, anxiety, and stress, and presented with a lower sense of personal accomplishment, higher emotional exhaustion, and higher depersonalization. Furthermore, pediatric residents had the second highest DASS and MBI scores following anesthesia residents. Following the online psychological intervention, negative emotional states and burnout levels were significantly lower among anesthesia and pediatric residents. There were no differences in the level of stress and sense of personal accomplishment pre- and post-online psychological intervention among the different majors.Conclusion: Our findings revealed high levels of burnout, as well as depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in medical residents, with marked differences among different majors. The online psychological intervention effectively improved emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization, and relieved the psychological problems such as anxiety and depression in medical residents.

The Impact of Psychological Interventions with Elements of Mindfulness (PIM) on Empathy, Well-Being, and Reduction of Burnout in Physicians: A Systematic Review

“…Therefore, burdened physicians are informed about effective and feasible interventions provided to help them improve their well-being. Moreover, online interventions are easily accessible, user friendly, and less time consuming [30]. This review also stresses the importance of the sustained effect of the selected PIMs.…”

Effects of eHealth interventions on stress reduction and mental health promotion in healthcare professionals: A systematic review

“…Depressive symptomatology was assessed in 7 studies; 3 interventions produced significant reductions posttreatment: the guided Sudarshan Kriya Yoga workshop (Divya et al, 2021), the online self‐compassion cultivation program (Finlay‐Jones et al, 2017), and the mindfulness decompression and psychoeducation program (Wang et al, 2021). None of these studies was compared to control conditions; Smoktunowicz et al (2021) did compare different versions of the Med‐Stress program but found no differential effects on depression.…”

“…The impact of the intervention on burnout levels was reported in 7 of the studies reviewed. Five of them observed significant reductions in this outcome: web‐based ACT and web‐based CBT (Barrett & Stewart, 2021), and the mindfulness decompression and psychoeducation program (Wang et al, 2021) produced significant reductions posttreatment; also, the study conducted by Osman et al (2021) reported effects on the emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment facets of burnout, but not on depersonalization. Moreover, the mindful and self‐compassion program (Eriksson et al, 2018) and the guided session teaching emotional freedom techniques (Dincer & Inangil, 2021) produced significant improvements in burnout compared to control groups.…”

Medical Student Experiences of Engaging in a Psychological Flexibility Skill Training App for Burnout and Well-being: Pilot Feasibility Study

“…Those who used the app during stage 2 completed <2 skill activities on average despite “liking” most activities completed. Although the observed pattern of disengagement over time is common for digital and app-based psychological interventions [ 30 , 78 ], it is incongruent with the fact that students who completed the introductory module generally reported that they would like to use the app in the future. These findings reinforce the need for a detailed formal evaluation of end-user experiences to better understand factors that may affect feasibility [ 1 ] and guide app intervention development, which was the second aim of this study.…”