Assessing a Structured Mental Fitness Program for Academic Acute Care Surgeons: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Physician Wellness

Background:

• Physician wellness is linked to patient care outcomes.
• Mental fitness is an understudied aspect of wellness in academic medicine.
• A structured mental fitness program was piloted for academic surgeons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a Positive Intelligence (PQ) training program on academic surgeons.
• To evaluate changes in PQ scores, wellness, sleep, and trainee evaluations.
• To explore participant perceptions of the program's benefits and sustainability.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, mixed-methods pilot study involving academic surgeons and fellows.
• A 6-week Positive Intelligence (PQ) program with daily app exercises, readings, and coaching.
• Outcomes measured included pre- and post-training PQ scores, sleep, wellness, teaching evaluations, and user experience via Net Promoter Score and focus groups.

Main Results:

• Fifteen participants showed a statistically significant increase in PQ scores (59 to 65, P=0.004).
• No significant changes were observed in sleep, well-being, or teaching evaluations.
• High users (based on program engagement) demonstrated higher ongoing usage, and the Net Promoter Score was 25.

Conclusions:

• The structured mental fitness program demonstrated benefits for academic surgeons, notably improving PQ scores.
• The program fostered interpersonal benefits like connectedness and a shared language.
• Future research should explore this program on a larger scale, including trainees and other healthcare providers, and assess patient outcome implications.