Predictors of Well-Being in Resident Physicians: A Descriptive and Psychometric Study

Abstract

Background It is important to describe the characteristics of well-being in resident physicians to develop resident wellness initiatives in postgraduate medical education. Objective To characterize the predictors of well-being in resident physicians by assessing personal and work-related burnout, work dissatisfaction, nutritional needs while on call, and sleep needs while on call. Methods We set up an online survey in 2012 to collect data from current residents at the University of Calgary in Canada. The WHO-Five Well-Being Index, personal and work-related subscales of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, questions on work dissatisfaction, as well as sleep and nutrition management needs while on call, were used in the survey. Descriptive statistics, univariate analysis, and linear regression were applied to the data. Results The survey response rate was 45% (317 of 706) of eligible residents, with a mean age of 30.9 years (SD = 4.3). Fifty-three percent (168 of 317) of residents had a well-being score of 13 or less, indicating poor mental well-being. There were significant differences between men and women with respect to personal burnout (47.9 versus 54.2, P = .002) and work-related burnout (46.4 versus 50.4, P = .008). The only significant predictors of well-being overall were personal burnout and work dissatisfaction. Conclusions Survey results suggest that a high proportion of residents at this institution have low well-being. This study did not find work-related burnout to be a significant predictor of well-being, after adjustment for other variables.

Running on empty: a review of nutrition and physicians' well-being

“…These studies all suggest that physicians and residents do not eat or drink adequately during working hours 3 5 6 38 39. In two Canadian studies, physicians and on-call residents in an urban teaching hospital reported that inadequate food intake and dehydration during their working hours had negative impacts on their work performance and sense of well-being 5 6. For example, Canadian physicians who reported inadequate food intake experienced emotional symptoms such as irritability and frustration; physical symptoms such as light headedness, tremor and nausea; and/or cognitive impairment such as difficulty concentrating and difficulty with decision-making 5.…”

“…In terms of research studies, there are only a few studies that have looked at physician nutrition. These studies all suggest that physicians and residents do not eat or drink adequately during working hours 3 5 6 38 39. In two Canadian studies, physicians and on-call residents in an urban teaching hospital reported that inadequate food intake and dehydration during their working hours had negative impacts on their work performance and sense of well-being 5 6.…”

“…The most commonly cited barriers to healthy eating among studied physicians and residents, in the studies mentioned above, were lack of nutrition breaks, limited or lack of healthy food options in the hospital, limited or no access to food in particular during overnight shifts, limited access to food storage areas and a sense of duty to put clinical work ahead of their own well-being 5 6 38. Given the high prevalence of physician burnout and the impact it can have on patient care,43 many programmes are being developed and implemented in different countries to improve physician and resident well-being.…”

High concentrations of waste anesthetic gases induce genetic damage and inflammation in physicians exposed for three years: A cross‐sectional study

“…Interleukin 17A concentrations in control and exposed groups (median and quartiles); * P = .03 Medical residents are a special category of physicians whose occupational and personal well-being are of major concern worldwide. 30 Controversial findings have already been reported regarding genotoxicity observed after a few months of exposure to waste anesthetic gases. 31,32 In the aforementioned papers, a study 31 had already reported increased DNA damage in physicians exposed for eight months to inhalational anesthetics in operating rooms without any scavenging systems compared to those in a nonexposed group.…”

Capsule Commentary on Lafreniere et al., Burned Out at the Bedside: Patient Perceptions of Physician Burnout in an Internal Medicine Resident Continuity Clinic

“…While minimizing burnout is important for residents' wellbeing, 5 it is reassuring that patients' rating of empathy does not appear to be suffering, regardless of the degree of emotional exhaustion reported by resident physicians. 1 Given the nature of the study, it is difficult to ascertain whether resident depersonalization is what is being perceived as empathic or enabling by the patient, or whether the strongly empathic residents are those that rate their own emotional exhaustion more critically.…”