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A qualitative study of physicians' own wellness-promotion practices
E L Weiner1, G R Swain, B Wolf
1Behavioral Medicine Education, McLaren Family Practice Residency Program G-3245 Beecher Rd Flint, MI 48532, USA.
The Western Journal of Medicine
|January 13, 2001
Summary
Physicians utilize five key strategies for well-being: relationships, spirituality, self-care, work, and life approaches. Adopting these practices, particularly life approaches, is linked to enhanced psychological well-being.
Area of Science:
- Medical Research
- Psychology
- Physician Well-being
Background:
- Physician well-being is crucial for effective healthcare delivery.
- Understanding physician self-care practices is essential for developing targeted support strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and categorize the specific practices physicians employ to enhance their personal well-being.
- To explore the relationship between these practices and psychological health outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A survey was distributed to 304 primary care physicians.
- Qualitative content analysis was performed on open-ended responses from 130 physicians regarding their wellness practices.
- The Scales of Psychological Well-Being (SPWB) instrument was used to measure psychological health.
Main Results:
- Five primary categories of wellness practices emerged: relationships, religion/spirituality, self-care, work, and approaches to life.
- The use of "approaches to life" practices showed a significant association with higher SPWB scores (P<0.01).
- A general trend indicated increased psychological well-being among physicians using any category of wellness-promotion practices.
Conclusions:
- Physicians engage in diverse practices to foster their well-being.
- These practices can be broadly categorized into five main themes.
- The adoption of these wellness strategies appears to correlate positively with improved psychological health in physicians.