Purpose: Examine the association between the use of a residency mindfulness curriculum and resident burnout levels and empathy scores to determine if these measures changed over time.
Background: Physician burnout is a well-documented phenomenon and is associated with decreased empathy and decreased quality of patient care. Psychological research suggests that mindfulness training may influence empathy and focus, which may in turn reduce physician burnout.
Methods: A mindfulness focused wellness curriculum was utilized for all Ob/Gyn residents at a large public university. Empathy was prospectively measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) and burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) at 3 time points. All residents were given the opportunity to participate.
Results: Twenty-six participants participated in the study. Seven participants had complete data across all 3 time points and 13 participants had two complete data points. There were no statistically significant differences between group means for the JSE as determined by one-way ANOVA (F(2,50) = .367, p = .688). There was no statistically significant difference between group means for the three components of the MBI (burnout F(2,50) = 1.288, p= .285; depersonalization F(2, 50) = .503, p = .608; and personal achievement F(2,50) = .567, p = .571). Although not statistically significant, the burnout component of the MBI mean score did change the resulting category of burnout from “low level” to “moderate” from the first data collection to the final. When separated by PGY level and collapsed across time, there was no significant difference between group means for the JSE (F(3,49) = .339, p = .797).
Discussions: A mindfulness curriculum was not associated with statistically significant changes over time in empathy or burnout. Empathy scores remained high despite low to moderate levels of burnout.
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2020, Student, Resident, Faculty, Residency Director, Residency Coordinator, Professionalism, Interpersonal & Communication Skills, GME, General Ob-Gyn,
Nicole Betenia, MD, MPH, University of Illinois at Chicago; Abigail Litwiller, MD
