A Team-Based Approach to Radiology Resident Case Conference to Improve Camaraderie Among Trainees

In light of increasing concerns regarding resident burnout, we developed a team-based approach (TBA) to radiology resident case conference to foster wellness by cultivating camaraderie and a positive learning environment.

Teaching faculty provided both a traditional hot-seat and a TBA format case conference. Resident perceptions of each conference format were assessed using a 16-item questionnaire, with 14 of the items utilizing a 7-point Likert scale to assess the learning environment, including measures related to wellness. A two-sided Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare responses between the 2 formats of teaching conferences.

Four paired teaching sessions were performed by 4 individual faculty. Sixty-six individual resident responses were received for the hot-seat and TBA conferences in aggregate. Residents responded "strongly agree" to positive statements more often for the TBA format compared with hot-seat for 13 out of the 14 items used to assess perceptions of the learning environment, including measures of wellness and camaraderie. The level of agreement on a 7-point Likert scale pertaining to the statement "The format of this case conference improves camaraderie among my co-residents" had a median value of 4.5 for the hot-seat format and 7 for the TBA format (P = 0.002).

A TBA format for resident case conference may foster a sense of camaraderie among trainees. Residency programs may consider supplementing hot-seat conferences with the TBA method to address increasing burnout among trainees and promote resident wellbeing.