The Impact Of Resident Wellness Programs

Abstract

Much research has been done to establish the link between a physician's own healthy habits and their effect on clinical preventative practices. A similar association has been shown to exist in the early stages of medical training. Medical students' healthy habits have been shown to correlate with their attitudes about preventative counseling. However, follow-up research has begun to show decreased perceived relevance of some preventative practices over the four years of medical school training. Intervention at some level is needed. Studies of medical student populations are underway, but there is little research in the next step of physician training - residency. PURPOSE: This study seeks to look at a group of residents after a resident wellness program was put in place and investigate changes in a resident's own health and exercise habits, and how they relate to their clinical practice. METHODS: Surveys were administered both before and after an intervention. The intervention evaluated was the Resident Wellness Initiative. This consisted of free fitness center memberships, monthly lectures on health related topics, including fitness training and nutrition, and monthly team building activities. RESULTS: Mann-Whitney and Chi-Square analyses were used for pre and post test group comparison (n = 30). The number of residents who exercised more than 2 times per week at all levels (strenuous, moderate and mild) increased, but only the strenuous group was significant (P = 0.021). The number of residents who answered that it was the physician's responsibility to promote prevention increased from 79.9% to 90.9%, (P = 0.076). Residents who experienced moderate or "a lot" of stress in the two weeks preceding the survey decreased; 86.7% to 69.7% (P = 0.031). When looking at individual pre and post test results (n = 18) Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was used. The number of residents that felt encouraged to exercise by other residents increased (P = 0.013). The frequency with which residents exercised with other residents also increased (P = 0.047). CONCLUSION: Residents felt less stressed and more encouraged by their peers to exercise. Trends in exercise activity and perceived relevance of preventative counseling as well as frequency of counseling all improved following the wellness intervention.