The Spiritual Works of Mercy as a Tool to Prevent Burnout in Medical Trainees

Abstract

Burnout is highly prevalent among physicians and is associated with negative patient outcomes. Furthermore, medical training is a particularly vulnerable time as studies show that medical students, residents, and fellows experience burnout and emotional exhaustion at higher rates than both the general population and physicians in practice. Multiple recent studies have demonstrated the practice of religion and spirituality to be protective against burnout in trainees. Can Catholic academic physicians transfer these protective benefits of religion and spirituality to their trainees, who are at the highest risk, and who may or may not share their faith? An ancient Catholic tradition, the Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy, may hold the key. The Spiritual Works of Mercy are listed by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops as Counseling the Doubtful, Instructing the Ignorant, Admonishing the Sinner, Comforting the Sorrowful, Forgiving Injuries, Bearing Wrongs Patiently, and Praying for the Living and the Dead. Using this as a framework, examples of evidenced-based actions from the literature that have been shown to either prevent burnout or to improve the day-to-day experience of medical trainees were discussed. Examples include encouraging trainees to express doubts or to debrief after difficult and saddening cases. Academic physicians can provide instruction, feedback, or admonishment; demonstrate forgiveness of errors; and model the way in bearing wrongs patiently, all while uplifting their trainees in prayer. The Spiritual Works of Mercy can thus become a framework for academic physicians to uplift their trainees’ spirits and potentially prevent against burnout. Summary: Burnout is highly prevalent in medical students and in doctors during their residency or fellowship training, but multiple studies have shown regular practice of Religion and Spirituality to be protective against burnout. The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy (Counsel the Doubtful, Instruct the Ignorant, Admonish the Sinner, Comfort the Sorrowful, Forgive All Injuries, Bear Wrongs Patiently and Pray for the Living and the Dead) provide a framework of powerful examples for teaching physicians, particularly Catholic teaching physicians, to uplift their students and potentially transfer this benefit to reduce their students’ risk for burnout.

Assessment of the risk of burnout and its associated factors in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: A prospective cohort study

“…The habit of praying every day was a significant protective factor for burnout, and this may occur through the perception of divine protection, as mentioned by Tavares Quelho, while discussing spirituality as a dimension of protection and humanization, in addition to bringing the character of hope ( Tavares, 2020 ). A different study with healthcare professionals in Hong Kong demonstrated in a regression analysis that daily spiritual practice acts as a protective factor not only against burnout, but also against depression and anxiety ( Shaniuk, 2020 ).…”

The Blessing and Curse of Social Media

“…It’s a rare month that I don’t have an “old-timer” physician regale me with a story of a diagnosis missed or delayed because of the reliance on tests and the failure to do a physical exam; these experiences are now making their way to the medical literature, online and otherwise (Boodman 2014). As it is with the rest of the world, depression, anxiety, burnout, and suicide are significant problems among physicians and are on the rise (Shaniuk 2020).…”

Wellness Review 2020, Part 2

“…The last six months have seen multiple curricular proposals for wellness and resilience building [14][15][16][17][18][19]. In an assessment of integrative resilience tips to embrace during public health crises (eg.…”

“…The topic areas include: a holistic view, a calm mind, general awareness, relationships, healthy habits, reflective writing, appreciative inquiry, moral resilience, certain academic considerations, an optimization of system culture, trauma-informed care, and the encouragement of the act of seeking help if needed [14]. In another approach, Shaniuk (2020) draws a reference to The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy (counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish the sinner, comfort the sorrowful, forgive injuries, bear wrongs patiently, and pray for the living and the dead) as a foundation for teaching physicians to uplift students during this particularly trying time [19].…”