Does Implementation of a Corporate Wellness Initiative Improve Burnout?

Abstract

IntroductionBurnout affects over 50% of all physicians. Nearly 70% of emergency physicians are affected, and it has been found to be as high as 76% in resident physicians overall. Previous wellness initiatives have yielded variable results; therefore, we looked for interventions that could potentially be effective at reversing this trend. We explored effective wellness programs originating from other industries. Our objective was to implement a corporate wellness program with previous evidence of success in other healthcare provider populations. We aimed to investigate whether this program would be effective in decreasing burnout in emergency medicine (EM) residents.MethodsThis program was conducted during required EM resident conference hours from 2016–2017. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was completed before and after the series of sessions, and we collected reactions-level data following completion of the six sessions.ResultsPost-intervention scores revealed a small trend toward increased emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores, and with increased personal accomplishment scores. The overall satisfaction rating for this program was low, at 1.5 on a 5-point scale. Forty-three percent of residents stated that this intervention subjectively worsened their overall burnout, with another 39% stating it did not improve their burnout at all. A similar trend was seen for effects on wellness.ConclusionWe found that a corporate wellness intervention that had previously been shown to be successful with other types of healthcare providers did not objectively improve burnout and was subjectively perceived as paradoxically worsening burnout for many residents. This result may be related to the type of intervention chosen (individual vs. systems-focused), the design of the intervention itself, or the unique stressors faced by the resident population. [West J Emerg Med.2019;20(1)138–144.]

Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Emergency Physicians in the United States

“…47 Studies of resilience training in EM have shown mixed results. [48][49] While personal resilience is important to prevent burnout and PTSD, a recent systematic review and metaanalysis of programs to reduce burnout in physicians suggests that focusing on adaptations to the work environment are more effective than interventions that target individual providers. 50 Noben et al found that an intervention to improve mental health among hospital staff was cost-effective.…”

A Comprehensive Residency Wellness Curriculum

“…In 2017, the Resident Wellness Consensus Summit published the outline of a proposed comprehensive wellness curriculum for emergency medicine residency programs [22,23]. Another group implemented a corporate-based wellness curriculum in their emergency medicine residency program, which received negative feedback from participants [24]. Finally, several medical schools have published curricula for teaching wellness skills to medical students [20,[25][26][27].…”

Wellness Interventions in Emergency Medicine Residency Programs: Review of the Literature Since 2017

“…The most commonly encountered wellness intervention (5 of 8) was a formal, classroom-based initiative. 15 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 Three of these studies described a year-long curriculum 16 , 18 , 22 and two described a single session. 15 , 20 All five provided a broad overview of wellness during residency training and attempted to address multiple facets including work-life balance, stress management, and burnout coping mechanisms.…”

“…Included studies used a variety of previously published measures with existing validity evidence to assess the impact of wellness interventions ( Table 2 ). Two studies used the MBI-HSS 18 , 22 ; one used the Perceived Wellness Scale 21 ; and one used a combination of the Brief Resident Wellness Profile and Short Form Health Survey (SF-8). 16 Many of the studies also used satisfaction surveys to assess participant reactions to the interventions, 15 – 20 and two used a combination of both.…”