Wellbeing Of Junior Doctors Research Articles

How to improve the wellbeing of junior doctors: building the evidence.

How to improve the wellbeing of junior doctors: building the evidence.

The value of peer mentoring for the psychosocial wellbeing of junior doctors: a randomised controlled study.

To explore the value of a peer mentoring program for first year medical interns and to assess the demand for and benefits of such a program in an Australian hospital. Randomised controlled study of the impact on first year interns of peer-led mentoring by second and third year interns, undertaken during 2015 at the Royal Perth Hospital, a tertiary teaching hospital. Methods and main outcome measure: Interns were recruited and randomised 1:1 to being assigned or not assigned a mentor. Qualitative outcome data were collected in semi-structured interviews and focus groups at 12 months to assess psychosocial wellbeing and job satisfaction. Fifty-three of 79 interns (67%) applied to participate in the program. Twenty-six mentor-mentee pairs matched by sex and career preferences were established; 27 interns were allocated to the control group. Iterative data analysis identified two major themes related to the value of the mentorship program: aiding navigation through the complex health care system, and enhancing a sense of community. Participants with mentors reported high satisfaction with the program and a positive impact on stress levels, morale, sense of support, job satisfaction, and psychosocial wellbeing compared with participants without mentors. An optional peer mentoring program enhances junior doctor support structures, builds a sense of community, and helps participating interns navigate their new professional environment. Our trial provides a feasibility model that could be adapted to local conditions, regionally or nationally. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12618000455268; 29 March 2018 (retrospective).

Junior doctors and limitation-of-care orders: perspectives, experiences and the challenge of dealing with persons with dementia

Background/Objectives: Globally, junior doctors play a central role in completing limitation of care orders (LCOs). This study aims to guide improvement of LCO utility by ascertaining junior doctor perspectives, LCO experiences and identifying challenges encountered in LCOs for patients with dementia, a particularly complex patient group. Design/Setting/Participants: Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Participants were registered medical practitioners who had graduated within the previous 3 years and were practicing in a hospital in Victoria, Australia. Results: Nineteen junior doctors were interviewed between December 2013 and January 2015. Junior doctors were frequently involved in discussion and decision-making around treatment limitations and end-of-life care. Participants described inconsistent support, a lack of preparedness, a vague understanding of related hospital policies and inadequate knowledge and experience when it came to completing LCOs. Although participants acknowledged the additional nuances of capacity and prognosis assessment for patients with dementia, they did not feel that the processes for completing LCOs were significantly different for these persons. Many also recognised that decisions were often made without adequate consultation with the relevant stakeholders in this patient group. Conclusion: The junior doctors in this study highlighted global challenges in providing appropriate end-of-life care, particularly when they are responsible for this role. To improve patient care and ensure the wellbeing of junior doctors, hospitals need to address gaps in training needs and supervision with respect to end-of-life care, as well as to implement policies that support consistent and informed use of LCOs.

A longitudinal study of well-being, confidence and competence in junior doctors and the impact of emergency medicine placements

ObjectivesTo measure levels of, and change in junior doctor well-being, confidence and self-reported competence over their second postgraduate training year and the impact of emergency department (ED) placements on these...

Stress and recovery in junior doctors

ObjectiveJunior doctors are thought to experience increased mental strain in comparison to other occupations. The aim of the present study was to analyse selected work related influencing factors of strain...

The health and wellbeing of junior doctors: insights from a national survey

Junior doctors face specific pressures related to their professional stage and development and can be at risk of poor health. A confidential survey conducted in 2008 by the Australian Medical Association Council of Doctors in Training investigated the health and wellbeing of junior doctors. There were 914 completed surveys: 71% of junior doctors were concerned about their own health, and 63% about the health of a colleague. A majority of junior doctors met well established criteria for low job satisfaction (71%), burnout (69%) and compassion fatigue (54%). The early stages of a medical career are demanding, and the health and wellbeing of junior doctors must be a personal priority, as well as the responsibility of the medical profession in general, to ensure a healthy medical workforce in the future.

The Junior Doctor Syndrome

The present organization of working hours in hospital is deleterious to the health and well-being of junior doctors. The main effects are sleep deprivation and emotional disturbance. The stresses created counter optimum patient care by undermining patient-doctor communication, hampering professional performance and diminishing motivation.It is common sense to seek a better arrangement of working hours. The use of scientifically validated concepts of circadian rhythms provide a method to do this. The reduction in the number of continuous hours worked is of prime importance, in addition to a decrease in the total number of hours on duty. The present move towards legislation will facilitate the application of these principles. We think that the proposed changes will create a situation where junior doctors have the potential to thrive rather than merely survive. This provides benefits to patients, as well as to the complete health care team, including administrators.My experience (GB) as a junior house officer was curtailed by physical illness. This was an externalization of an inner conflict between the rigorous demands of residency training and my individual needs both as a doctor and as a person. My attempts at reconciliation brought to light a number of issues which affect most junior doctors and which we discuss in this paper.We examine some of the shortcomings of the present medical system, their effects on the lives of junior doctors and the consequences on patient care. We maintain that these drawbacks need not be there, and suggest ways in which we feel the situation can be improved.