Measuring the stress of the surgeons in training and use of a novel interventional program to combat it

Stress poses a serious risk for training surgeons since their performance and well-being in reflected in patients' health. This study focuses on measuring the stress of training surgeons and at the same time evaluates prospectively the results of an innovative program that uses alternative techniques to combat the effects of stress.

The study was a pilot randomized controlled trial, with a duration of 6 months. Participants were allocated to a control and an intervention group. Trainees then completed three questionnaires, quality of life, perceived stress scale (PSS) and job content questionnaire serving as a baseline measurement. Only the intervention group used diaphragmatic breathing and progressive muscular relaxation techniques, twice a day, for 20 minutes each, and for a total period of eight weeks. At the end of the study, the same questionnaires were completed again by both groups.

The sample of the study included 28 and 32 trainees in the control and the intervention group, respectively. The Cronbach's α value for the PSS stress-measuring questionnaire was 0.772. The intervention group presented statistically significant lower values of stress (30.50, P < 0.05) in comparison to the control group (27.54).

The medical community, and especially surgeons, have been reluctant up to now to embrace interventional programs that go beyond the traditional use of medication in order to address stress related issues. The positive results and feedback from small studies, such as ours, can provide the driving force for further research that will give us solid, evidence-based, answers.