569 - Interventions to improve well-being and mitigate contributors to burnout among pediatric and medicine-pediatric residents

Poster Number: 569
Publication Number: 569.116

Michael Lugo, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; Mason Walgrave, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Charleston, SC, United States; Brynn D. OLaughlin, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States; David Mills, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; Natasha M. Ruth, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Charleston, SC, United States; Whitney Marvin, MUSC Children's Hospital, Charleston, SC, United States

Background: Pediatric residents are experiencing a mental health crisis with burnout rates exceeding 50%1. The rise in pediatric mental health visits during the COVID-19 pandemic has in turn impacted pediatricians’ own mental health2,3. Methods for mitigating burnout in training have been explored, but data regarding success rates and identifying areas of improvement is limited due to the novelty of these interventions.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of opt-out counseling and a structured well-being curriculum on contributors to burnout among pediatric and medicine-pediatric (Med-Peds) residents.

Design/Methods: Pediatric and Med-Peds residents at a tertiary care academic center completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) at three time points: prior to beginning opt-out counseling, after counseling initiation, and continued counseling with a formal curriculum. Survey and intervention timeline was from Fall 2019-Spring 2021. With the 3rd assessment, additional data was obtained regarding the efficacy of the formalized wellness intervention through a 5-point Likert scale.

Results: 68 residents participated in the interventions, with response rates ranging from 60-72%. Improvement in ‘Depersonalization’ was noted between the 1st (M: 5.6, SD: 3.54) and 2nd (M: 3.71, SD:3.37) time points (t(84)=2.53, p=0.007). The MBI subscales across all assessments displayed moderate burnout without a statistically significant change, however a trend toward improvement began that may have been altered by the pandemic’s duration. Regarding the wellness curriculum, pediatric residents demonstrated improved ‘comfort talking with peers about burnout’ (t(50)=1.88, p=0.033), 'talking about medical errors’ (t(50)=1.80, p=0.039), and ‘using things learned in wellness sessions’ (t(50)=2.93, p=0.003). Correlation analysis between the MBI scores and feedback on the wellness curriculum showed ‘Personal accomplishment’ was positively associated with ‘I have an outlet to discuss my feelings of stress and/or burnout’ (r(50)=0.287, p=0.039) and ‘I have learned new ways to approach stress and burnout’ (r(50)=0.317, p=0.022).Conclusion(s): Burnout and poor well-being remain significant risks to trainees regardless of provided interventions. Our assessment spanned pre- to mid-pandemic, so lack of significance in improvement may be attributed to reduction in well-being factors such as community building. Despite this, interventions did improve trainees’ comfort discussing burnout and gave them tools to mitigate it. Continued evaluation with targeted interventions are needed to develop a meaningful well-being curriculum to combat burnout.
Michael Lugo -- CVLugo_CV_Jan2022.pdf