Designing a Yoga Intervention Program to Improve Well-Being for Physician Trainees: Challenges and Lessons Learned

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Well-being
• Mind-Body Interventions

Background:

• Physician burnout is a significant concern.
• Yoga is recognized for promoting well-being.
• Limited research exists on yoga interventions for physicians in training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore establishing a yoga-based well-being program for physician trainees.
• To identify factors influencing trainee participation in yoga.
• To assess an instrument for measuring changes in self-reported well-being.

Main Methods:

• Prospective methodology-development study.
• Yoga intervention: weekly 1-hour sessions for 4 weeks.
• Measurement: Resident Physician Well-Being Index (RPWBI) administered pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 6 months later.
• Groups: required attendance, voluntary attendance, and walk-in.

Main Results:

• Required attendance group had 17 participants; voluntary and walk-in groups had low attendance (0-9 participants).
• No significant change in overall RPWBI scores in the required group.
• Survey participation declined over time; baseline RPWBI scores were in the non-distressed range.

Conclusions:

• Mandatory yoga attendance may be effective for increasing participation.
• The RPWBI may have limitations in detecting changes in overall well-being for this population.
• Further investigation is needed to refine yoga interventions and outcome measures for physician trainees.