A stress management workshop improves residents' coping skills

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Occupational Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Physician burnout and stress are significant challenges in medical training.
• Residency programs face difficulties in supporting resident well-being due to demanding clinical schedules.
• Effective stress management interventions are crucial for resident retention and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a brief, low-cost stress management workshop for internal medicine and pediatrics residents.
• To assess the impact of the workshop on physician stress levels and burnout.
• To identify key components of stress management that resonate with residents.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design comparing an intervention group (43 residents attending a workshop) with a non-intervention group (21 residents unable to attend).
• Administration of the ESSI Stress Systems Instrument and Maslach Burnout Inventory pre- and post-workshop (2 weeks before, 6 weeks after).
• Workshop content focused on social support, prioritization, self-care, maladaptive response recognition, and positive outlook skills.

Main Results:

• Workshop participants showed a significant improvement in ESSI Stress Systems Instrument scores (+1.27), while the non-intervention group's scores declined (-0.65).
• All 21 individual ESSI scales improved in the workshop group, compared to eight in the non-intervention group.
• The workshop group demonstrated improvement in emotional exhaustion and less deterioration in depersonalization on the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

Conclusions:

• A modest, inexpensive stress management workshop can positively impact physician well-being.
• The intervention led to significant short-term improvements in stress and burnout indicators among residents.
• The workshop's focus on practical coping skills appears effective in mitigating occupational stressors in medical training.