Evaluation of radiology resident well-being at a single institution with a dedicated wellness curriculum

Introduction

Increasing rates of physician burnout over recent years have resulted in the need for formal tools and programming dedicated to physician well-being. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has taken measures to prioritize trainee well-being by revising its common program requirements. Widespread departmental initiatives have been developed in line with these changes. At the authors' institution, a committee was developed to design and implement a holistic wellness curriculum for radiology trainees.

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess overall well-being in a cohort of radiology residents at a training program with a dedicated wellness curriculum.

Methods

A wellness curriculum for radiology residents was developed and implemented. Over a 3-year period, data was collected using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS).

Results

Rates amongst respondents were low, compared to average, for emotional exhaustion (below 17, average 25.2), depersonalization (6, average 10), and of personal accomplishment were moderate to high (37.5, average 32.9). PGY-4 level residents had the highest rates of burnout (p = 0.042 for depersonalization, p = 0.006 for emotional exhaustion). PGY-4 residents also had the lowest rates of resilience based on the BRS, and PGY-3 the highest (p = 0.037). There were no statistically significant differences between gender or differing relationship status for MBI or BRS. The most commonly cited barriers to wellness practices included fatigue, competing responsibilities, and not knowing where to start.

Conclusion

Radiology residents at a single institution with a dedicated wellness curriculum demonstrated overall lower rates of burnout compared to their peers.