Race to the Summit: Impact of a Social Media-based Exercise Competition on Physician Physical, Psychological, and Emotional Well-being

Abstract

BackgroundIn the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and with increasing non-clinical demands on physician time and effort, the health care community is experiencing disproportionate rates of burnout. Oncologists, specifically, frequently endure challenging situations of caring for terminally ill patients who require emotional support along with intricate medical care. In response, various well-being initiatives for physicians have emerged, predominantly focusing on education or wellness opportunities. However, most these programs are institution-based and not accessible to the physician community as a whole. The effect of physical exercise, particularly team-based activity, on physician well-being and burnout has been postulated but not rigorously studied. We therefore seek to formally investigate whether team-based exercise programs can facilitate collective well-being by enabling physicians to address burnout collectively rather than individually.MethodsThis prospective study will involve the two-month voluntary team-based multi-sport competition, ACRO Race to the Summit, which will track total exercise minutes logged across various forms of physical activities during the racing period of January 1st, 2023- February 28th, 2023. A pre/post survey design will be used to investigate the potential impact of such collective activity on radiation oncology physician well-being. Included in both surveys, a set of 25 multiple-choice questions based on the validated Stanford Medicine well-being survey and the IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) will focus on physical activity level and psychological and emotional well-being in the work place. The post-race survey will include additional questions meant to evaluate participants' perceived impact of the competition on these categories.ResultsPrimary endpoints will assess change in pre- and post-survey metrics related to level of physical activity, and psychological and emotional well-being at work. Secondary endpoints will examine perceived value of team-based exercise in cultivating well-being.DiscussionWe anticipate that the results from this survey may inform commentary on the role of collective, inclusive exercise as a tool to combat physician burnout. Moreover, the study may provide insight into existing trends in physical activity, and psychological and emotional well-being in the radiation oncology community. Formation of and investment in non-institution, non-work related teams may prove to be a unique means of addressing burnout by strengthening a sense of community within the field as a whole. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and with increasing non-clinical demands on physician time and effort, the health care community is experiencing disproportionate rates of burnout. Oncologists, specifically, frequently endure challenging situations of caring for terminally ill patients who require emotional support along with intricate medical care. In response, various well-being initiatives for physicians have emerged, predominantly focusing on education or wellness opportunities. However, most these programs are institution-based and not accessible to the physician community as a whole. The effect of physical exercise, particularly team-based activity, on physician well-being and burnout has been postulated but not rigorously studied. We therefore seek to formally investigate whether team-based exercise programs can facilitate collective well-being by enabling physicians to address burnout collectively rather than individually. This prospective study will involve the two-month voluntary team-based multi-sport competition, ACRO Race to the Summit, which will track total exercise minutes logged across various forms of physical activities during the racing period of January 1st, 2023- February 28th, 2023. A pre/post survey design will be used to investigate the potential impact of such collective activity on radiation oncology physician well-being. Included in both surveys, a set of 25 multiple-choice questions based on the validated Stanford Medicine well-being survey and the IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) will focus on physical activity level and psychological and emotional well-being in the work place. The post-race survey will include additional questions meant to evaluate participants' perceived impact of the competition on these categories. Primary endpoints will assess change in pre- and post-survey metrics related to level of physical activity, and psychological and emotional well-being at work. Secondary endpoints will examine perceived value of team-based exercise in cultivating well-being. We anticipate that the results from this survey may inform commentary on the role of collective, inclusive exercise as a tool to combat physician burnout. Moreover, the study may provide insight into existing trends in physical activity, and psychological and emotional well-being in the radiation oncology community. Formation of and investment in non-institution, non-work related teams may prove to be a unique means of addressing burnout by strengthening a sense of community within the field as a whole. Disclosure: Schutz: None LaVigne: None Everett: None Lally: None Jaboin: None