Abstract

Background: Resident physician burnout is a long-standing issue in medical education with the COVID-19 pandemic causing significant additional burnout burden. Navines et. al. (2021) found current burnout rates of residents as high as 76% (vs 50% prior). Implementation of mindfulness programs has been shown to improve physician wellness, decrease burnout, & create environments of resilience (Romcevich et.al 2018, Ireland,et. al 2017). Epstein et. al. (2021) implemented a 4-day mindfulness workshop for physicians, improving emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, & patient-centered care. While mindfulness has recently come to the forefront of wellness, few studies describe feasible, longitudinal programs focused on resident wellness. Programs like Search Inside Yourself (SIY) teach mindfulness, emotional intelligence & leadership skills & may assist with mitigating burnout.
Objective: To assess a feasible, longitudinal mindfulness program (SIY) for resident physicians to combat burnout & stress; build resilience; & improve self-care.
Design/Methods: After completion of SIY training, Dr. Sawni (pediatrician) & Dr. Wolf (psychologist), taught a modified version to Pediatric & Medicine-Pediatric residents at Hurley Hospital, Flint MI. It consisted of 12 hours, split over 3 consecutive sessions. Pre & post-surveys were given,(n=25) assessing demographics, wellness, & program evaluation. Desired responses to 29 wellness questions (combining Strongly Agree/Agree, Very Often/Often, Strongly Disagree/Disagree, or Rarely/Never) were compared pre- to post-training. The study was approved by Hurley Hospital IRB.
Results: Of the 29 wellness questions,10 items had a positive change by at least 10 percentage points. There were 5 items, related to distractibility, that decreased by at least 10 points, indicating that mindfulness helps with being more present. After the program, 93% of attendees said they were Satisfied/Very Satisfied with the mindfulness program and 93% agreed that the material was relevant to current challenges. The majority (86%) reported feeling ready to apply what they learned.
Conclusions: Mindfulness as an approach to mitigate burnout & stress has been successful with resident physicians in limited previous studies. Teaching & incorporating mindfulness is feasible & can be introduced as part of the core residency curriculum. This pilot study presents a feasible way to incorporate mindfulness training within the educational context. Though the number of completed surveys was relatively low, the overall impact of the study was large. Limitations include a small sample size & a limited number of sessions. Future programs will include similar mindfulness interventions to support wellness longitudinally.

Biography

Dr. Anju Sawni M.D. FAAP, FSAHM is the Director of Adolescent Medicine at Hurley Children’s Hospital/Hurley Medical Center, Flint MI & Associate Professor of Pediatrics Department of Pediatrics & Human Development, Michigan State University/College of Human Medicine, Lansing, MI. Her interest not only includes Adolescent Health, but also Integrative Medicine. She is a member of the AAP section on integrative pediatrics. She has done research, published several papers & written chapters on Adolescent health & Integrative Medicine, and presented many lectures/workshops; nationally, statewide & locally. She integrates mind/body therapies such as relaxation techniques/self-hypnosis/mindfulness meditation, yoga, nutritional supplements, etc. in her adolescent practice. She has trained in mindfulness with Dr. Ronald Epstein, the University of Rochester, Mindfulness in Medicine Program, Search Inside Yourself Institute that promotes Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence & Leadership & Awake Network; mindful health care summit as well as given several lectures on “Mindfulness in Medicine”. She incorporates/teaches mindfulness in medicine as part of the professionalism series to Hurley hospital & McLaren Health system residents. She serves on the board of directors of the Crim Foundation Mindfulness Initiative, Flint MI. She practices meditation/mindfulness/yoga in her personal and professional life.