The impact of shared social spaces on the wellness and learning of junior doctors: A scoping review

Abstract

Introduction: Impaired wellness among junior doctors is a significant problem. Connectedness and sense of belonging may be important factors to prevent and reduce mental ill-health. Shared social spaces in which health care staff can meet informally are thought to improve connectedness; however, these spaces are in decline. It is unclear what is known about such spaces, how they are used, and their impact on wellness and learning. This study aims to identify and synthetise available literature that informs our current understanding of the nature of shared social spaces as an intervention impacting wellness and learning of junior doctors.Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley fivestep framework. The review question is 'What is the evidence of the impact of shared social spaces on wellness and learning of junior doctors?' We searched five databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, APA PsychINFO, APA PsychExtra, and ERIC. We conducted thorough supplementary searches in addition to the database search.Results: We included 41 articles. These were predominantly letters, commentaries, and editorials with only five primary research studies. We identified four significant common attributes of shared social spaces, which can be credited with positive impacts on wellness and learning: (1) Informal: fostering connectedness and belonging, trust and teamwork and offering access to informal help and support; (2) safe: allowing reflection, debrief and raising of concerns; (3) functional: there is planning of clinical care activity, sense of control and engagement from users and provision of refreshment; (4) legitimate: regular maintenance and use of shared social spaces affect role modelling, sustainability and wellness culture.Discussion: This review identified several ways in which shared social spaces impact positively on learning and wellness. There is little primary research in this area. Future research would be useful to further examine how and why this works.

Intersections of space with wellbeing and learning: Awakening space research

“…This rich conception of both space and belonging as social, material and relational resonates with the findings of this review, where the value for junior doctors of access to social spaces reaches far beyond the basic facilities available, leading to affective connections, developmental growth and openings for the fostering of trust and belonging: ‘Workplace conditions such as these were reported to make a big difference to the experience of control and sense of value’ 1 ,. p. 10 We can also see connections here to theoretical work in the social sciences that has drawn our attention to the neglected force of things, to the vitality intrinsic to materiality 4 and to the role of nonhuman actors within social life 5 .…”

“…Denying the omnipotence of human activities, and moving towards understanding learning as relational, political and sociomaterial, is destabilising to a field entrenched in conceptions of learning as a process of knowledge acquisition and of notions of human mastery. However, as noted by Uys et al, 1 it is vital that we think about space and connection in new COMMENTARIES and more meaningful ways and that we continue Massey's important work to rouse space from its sleep, surfacing its multiple meanings and vital importance.…”

“…How does space interrelate with wellbeing and learning, and how has work within medical education examined this question to date? These are challenging provocations that are addressed in a scoping review by Uys et al 1 Their scoping review sheds light on the impact of social spaces, such as the ‘doctors' mess’, on trainee learning and wellbeing—a particularly important topic. Nineteen of the 41 articles reviewed by Uys et al report that social spaces can encourage connections and belonging, and Uys et al 1 usefully engage Goffman's theory of social theatre to explore the potentialities of such spaces operating as arenas for liminality, informality and collegiality.…”

“…Nineteen of the 41 articles reviewed by Uys et al report that social spaces can encourage connections and belonging, and Uys et al 1 usefully engage Goffman's theory of social theatre to explore the potentialities of such spaces operating as arenas for liminality, informality and collegiality. In this commentary, we extend these significant ideas in two directions.…”

“…And yet research within the medical education field is still limited. Out of the 41 papers reviewed by Uys et al, 1 only five were primary research studies. Given the generative theoretical work surfacing the significance of space and materiality, the paucity of research noted by Uys et al offers a call to action for further work to extend this thinking, developing deeper understanding of the complex and multiple ways in which space intersects with learning and wellbeing.…”