Abstract
IntroductionAcute stress may impair cognitive performance and multitasking, both vital in the practice of emergency medicine (EM). Previous research has demonstrated that board-certified emergency physicians experience physiologic stress while working clinically. We sought to determine whether EM residents have a similar stress response, and hypothesized that residents experience acute stress while working clinically.MethodsWe performed a prospective observational study of physiologic stress including heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and subjective stress in EM residents during clinical shifts in the emergency department. HR and HRV were measured via 3-lead Holter monitors and compared to baseline data obtained during weekly educational didactics. Subjective stress was assessed before and after clinical shifts via a Likert-scale questionnaire and written comments.ResultsWe enrolled 21 residents and acquired data from 40 shifts. Residents experienced an increase in mean HR of eight beats per minute (P < 0.001) and decrease in HRV of 53.9 milliseconds (P = 0.005) while working clinically. Subjective stress increased during clinical work (P <0.001). HRV was negatively correlated with subjective stress, but this did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.09).ConclusionEM residents experience acute subjective and physiologic stress while working clinically. HR, HRV, and self-reported stress are feasible indicators to assess the acute stress response during residency training. These findings should be studied in a larger, more diverse cohort of residents and efforts made to identify characteristics that contribute to acute stress and to elicit targeted educational interventions to mitigate the acute stress response.
Highlights
Acute stress may impair cognitive performance and multitasking, both vital in the practice of emergency medicine (EM)
Residents experienced an increase in mean heart rate (HR) of eight beats per minute (P < 0.001) and decrease in heart rate variability (HRV) of 53.9 milliseconds (P = 0.005) while working clinically
HR, HRV, and self-reported stress are feasible indicators to assess the acute stress response during residency training. These findings should be studied in a larger, more diverse cohort of residents and efforts made to identify characteristics that contribute to acute stress and to elicit targeted educational interventions to mitigate the acute stress response. [West J Emerg Med. 2021;22(1)94-100.]
Summary
Acute stress may impair cognitive performance and multitasking, both vital in the practice of emergency medicine (EM). Exposure to stressful situations and anticipation of a Indicators of Acute Stress Among EM Residents Working in the ED stressful situation contribute to changes in cardiac vagal tone with subsequent increases in heart rate (HR) and decreases in heart rate variability (HRV).[5] It has previously been demonstrated that board-certified emergency physicians experience a decrease in HRV, a marker of physiologic stress, while working clinically.[6] Unlike attending physicians, resident physicians have multiple additional available resources to use in the face of acute stress in the clinical environment, such as attending supervision and consultant services It is unclear whether trainees have a stress response during clinical work and the effects of stress on the clinical learning environment remains unclear
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