Stratton, Kelcey J.

Physicians-in-training experience high rates of mental health, burnout, and well-being concerns, yet face many barriers to accessing care. Burnout is associated with poor self-rated health, sleep disturbances, and other health risks. Unfortunately, residents often face barriers to participating in health-promoting activities due to lack of time, perceived stigma, confidentiality concerns, and low awareness of available services. To improve access to health resources, and specifically mental health support, we developed a pilot opt-out well-being check-in program, offered via videoconferencing, at a large academic medical center. Internal medicine and neurology residents ( N = 93) were protected from clinical duties to meet individually with a psychologist. The 45-minute session consisted of a brief assessment, identification of stressors, discussion of well-being goals, and referral to further services as indicated. The study goals were to establish the feasibility of implementing a program-wide intervention, assess resident satisfaction with the intervention, and reduce barriers to mental health and well-being resources. The study authors developed a brief post-session satisfaction survey. Analysis included participation rates and responses to satisfaction survey questions. 64.5% of residents attended the check-in session. Among the 57% who responded to a post-intervention survey, over 90% agreed that the session was valuable, convenient, and recommended program continuation. This health promotion program successfully offered tailored mental health and well-being support within demanding residency training structures. Opt-out programs that minimize barriers to participation are a valuable part of multifaceted workplace well-being initiatives.

Abstract Background Experiencing clinical catastrophes can result in long‐lasting emotional and psychological impacts. In other fields, crisis simulation has been used to train professionals in coping skills. Approach Our workshop combined a simulated case with a clinical debrief and expert‐led teaching on coping skills. The ‘4Rs’ mnemonic, Recognise, Reflect, Reframe and Reach‐out, describes the key elements. This is grounded in social, cognitive and behavioural theories of stress and coping. Evaluation All 96 anesthesiology residents from one residency programme participated, in small groups, and a mixed methods analysis was used. The scenario was deemed stressful. The workshop introduced new techniques, with 72/87 (82.75%) reporting new coping skills in use at 1‐month follow‐up. For many residents, the descriptive language regarding their performance and abilities shifted from critical, negative self‐talk to positive and team‐focused immediately following the workshop. A striking finding from evaluations at all timepoints was that negative comments were typically self‐referencing whereas positive ones referenced colleague support and the team. Implications Combining stress exposure with formal exploration of emotional responses and coping skills teaching in this workshop was feasible, with benefits at 1‐month follow‐up. This laid the groundwork for a resilience curriculum and wider departmental interest in the topic of coping and stress responses.