Physicians' needs in coping with emotional stressors: the case for peer support

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Well-being
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Physician distress is a significant concern in academic medical centers.
• Understanding physicians' attitudes toward support is crucial for designing effective interventions.
• Existing support services may not adequately meet the needs of physicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design an evidence-based intervention for physician distress.
• To assess physician attitudes toward seeking support.
• To identify barriers and preferred sources of support among physicians.

Main Methods:

• A survey assessed support-seeking likelihood, barriers, and sources among 108 physicians.
• Participants included residents and attending physicians in surgery, emergency medicine, and anesthesiology.
• Data were collected at departmental conferences in a tertiary care academic hospital.

Main Results:

• 79% of physicians experienced significant stressful events in the past year.
• Physicians showed willingness to seek support for various issues, with legal situations and medical errors being high.
• Lack of time, access issues, confidentiality concerns, career impact, and stigma were major barriers.
• Physician colleagues were the most preferred source of support (88%), surpassing employee assistance programs (29%) and mental health professionals (48%).

Conclusions:

• Despite high stress and desire for support, physicians underutilize traditional services.
• Peer support is advocated as the most effective and acceptable method to address physician distress.
• A one-on-one peer physician support program was implemented based on these findings.