Engaging Residents on Our Own Wellbeing 0

submitted by Eve Kellner 8 years ago

Rates of burnout and depression (distress) are at crisis levels among resident physicians. Studies of trainee burnout - characterized by cynical or negative attitudes toward patients, emotional exhaustion, and a feeling of decreased personal achievements - revealed that between 41%-90%3 met the criteria for burnout. The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) implemented a qualitative study on the causes of resident burnout and protective or “wellness” factors. 
The ACGME has recognized the pernicious effect of resident burnout, including increased job turnover and early career termination, reduced patient satisfaction, increased use of tests and specialist referrals, and higher rates of physician depression and suicide. Residents must be directly engaged in identifying both problems and solutions to ensure that high-impact issues are addressed and that solutions have the desired effect. While the Clinical Environmental Learning Review is a useful framework to create accountability for addressing resident wellness and burnout, the perspective as one of professionalism puts all the responsibility on residents to stay well under conditions that have been proved to contribute to stress, burnout, depression and even suicide.