Evaluating the well-being of ENT trainees in the UK: survey findings

The Association of Otolaryngologists in Training wanted to assess trainee well-being.

A survey was developed that incorporated the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, the short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and the Brief Resilience Scale plus questions on working conditions.

There were 190 responses and while most respondents had low or moderate levels of burnout, 15 per cent had high personal burnout and 13 per cent had high work-related burnout. The mean well-being score for respondents was lower than for the whole population mean. In addition, 39 per cent of respondents reported their mental well-being had been slightly affected in a negative way by their working environment and conditions in the last 6 months, and 26 per cent reported it being significantly affected negatively. Of these, 43 respondents reported an impact on patient safety.

This first-ever survey of ENT trainees in the UK identified several areas of concern, including how the working environment and conditions affect trainee well-being and impact patient safety.