Exploring the quality of life of pediatric trainees: Mixed-method explanatory design

Healthcare workers are at a higher risk of burnout. The aim of the study was to explore the professional quality of life (QOL) i.e. {Compassion Satisfaction (CS), Burnout (BO) and Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS)} and association of different trainee factors on QOL amongst Pediatric specialty trainees at a private tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

By using a mixed methods explanatory design, pediatric trainees experience of the prior year was measured in 2019 and 2020 through a predefined scale at Aga Khan University Hospital, Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL), followed by focused group discussions. Mean sums of CS, BO and STS were the primary measures assessed and the associations of different trainee factors were to explore experiences of Pediatric trainees towards the residency program, themes and subthemes were created after focused group discussions.

We surveyed a total of 118 pediatric responses (n=60 and n=58) during two years.Trainees from both years showed similar moderate level for mean sum of scores for all three components; CS, BO and STS. No significant association was observed with gender, place of living or year of residency. Opinions and perceptions of the trainees in qualitative analysis revealed both positive and negative impacts on the quality of life of the trainees.

This study delves into the professional quality of life and offers valuable understanding into the specific events encountered by trainees.