scholarly journals Awareness of Meaning in Life is Protective Against Burnout Among Family Physicians: A CERA Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Hooker ◽  
Robert E. Post ◽  
Michelle D. Sherman

Background and Objectives: Burnout is considered a public health crisis among physicians and is related to poor quality of life, increased medical errors, and lower patient satisfaction. A recent literature review and conceptual model suggest that awareness of life meaning, or meaning salience, is related to improved stress and coping, and may also reduce experience of burnout. This study examined associations among meaning salience, burnout, fatigue, and quality of life among family medicine residency program directors. Methods: Data were collected via an online survey administered by the Council of Academic Family Medicine (CAFM) Educational Research Alliance (CERA; n=268, response rate of 45.4%) in December 2018. Program directors completed measures of meaning salience, burnout, fatigue, and quality of life. Data were analyzed using Spearman correlations and path analysis. Results: Program directors who reported greater experienced meaning salience also reported significantly less burnout (β=-.40, P<.001) and less fatigue (β=-.38, P<.001), which were then both significantly associated with greater quality of life (Ps<.001). Program directors who reported greater meaning salience also reported greater quality of life (β=.21, P<.001). Additionally, there were significant indirect associations between meaning salience and quality of life through less burnout and fatigue (β=.26, P<.001). Conclusions: The potential for increasing physicians’ awareness of their sense of meaning as a means to prevent or decrease burnout is underresearched and warrants further study. Both preventive measures (eg, wellness curricula) and interventions with already-distressed physicians may encourage regular reflection on meaning in life, especially during busy workdays.

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 437-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh Silk ◽  
Judith A. Savageau ◽  
Kate Sullivan ◽  
Gail Sawosik ◽  
Min Wang

Background and Objectives: National initiatives have encouraged oral health training for family physicians and other nondental providers for almost 2 decades. Our national survey assesses progress of family medicine residency programs on this important health topic since our last survey in 2011. Methods: Family medicine residency program directors (PDs) completed an online survey covering various themes including number of hours of oral health (OH) teaching, topics covered, barriers, evaluation, positive influences, and program demographics. Results: Compared to 2011, more PDs feel OH should be addressed by physicians (86% in 2017 vs 79% in 2011), yet fewer programs are teaching OH (81% vs 96%) with fewer hours overall (31% vs 45% with 4 or more hours). Satisfaction with the competence of graduating residents in OH significantly decreased (17% in 2017 vs 32% in 2011). Program directors who report graduates being well prepared to answer board questions on oral health topics are more likely to have an oral health champion (P<0.001) and report satisfaction with the graduates’ level of oral health competency (P<0.001). Programs with an oral health champion, or having a relationship with a state or national oral health coalition, or having routine teaching from a dental professional are significantly more likely to have more hours of oral health curriculum (P<0.001). Conclusions: Family medicine PDs are more aware of the importance of oral health, yet less oral health is being taught in residency programs. Developing more faculty oral health champions and connecting programs to dental faculty and coalitions may help reduce this educational void.


Author(s):  
Christoph Pieh ◽  
Thomas Probst ◽  
Sanja Budimir ◽  
Elke Humer

This study investigated the association of relationship quality with several well-being measures during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom. An online survey was conducted on a study sample (n = 682) measuring relationship quality with the Quality of Marriage Index, and well-being measures including quality of life (WHO-QoL BREF), well-being (WHO-5), perceived stress (PSS-10), depressive (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7) symptoms. Good relationship quality goes along with higher scores in well-being (WHO-5), quality of life (WHO-QoL BREF), psychological domain, physical health, social relationships, environment, and reduced scores in stress (PSS-10), depressive (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) symptoms compared with poor relationship quality (p < 0.001). Moreover, 21% of participants living in relationships with poor quality stated that they drink significantly more alcohol since the initial COVID-19 restrictions, compared to 10% of participants with good quality (p = 0.002). Living in a good relationship seems to be an advantage, whereas those with poor relationship quality are particularly more burdened and drink significantly more alcohol during the COVID-19 lockdown.


Obesities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-199
Author(s):  
Thomas Perkins ◽  
Samantha Hayes ◽  
Daniel Talbot

Height dissatisfaction has recently been found to be an important contributor to body dissatisfaction in males, however, there is currently limited research examining this relationship in women. The present cross-sectional study aimed to examine the link between height and height dissatisfaction in Australian women, and the extent to which height and height dissatisfaction relate to body dissatisfaction and quality of life. Additionally, it explored the height preferences of oneself and romantic partners in Australian women. A final sample of 172 Australian women was recruited to complete an online survey relating to height preference, height dissatisfaction, muscularity, drive for thinness, and quality of life. Results showed that there was a significant difference between the reported actual height of participants and their ideal height. We also found that shorter women tended to be more dissatisfied with their height and were more likely to believe that they were treated poorly due to their height. Our study also identified that the vast majority (84%) preferred a romantic partner taller than them. Results were comparable to men aspiring to be taller than they were. Future studies should consider height dissatisfaction as a potential contributing factor to poor quality of life and negative affect.


2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (10) ◽  
pp. 871-877
Author(s):  
Stacy E. Potts ◽  
Ivonne McLean ◽  
George W. Saba ◽  
Gerardo Moreno ◽  
Jennifer Edgoose ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: Increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in medicine (URM) has the potential to improve access and quality of care and reduce health inequities for diverse populations. Having a diverse workforce in residency programs necessitates structures in place for support, training, and addressing racism and discrimination. This study examines reports of discrimination and training initiatives to increase diversity and address discrimination and unconscious bias in family medicine residency programs nationally. Methods: This survey was part of the Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance (CERA) 2018 national survey of family medicine residency program directors. Questions addressed the presence of reported discrimination, residency program training about discrimination and bias, and admissions practices concerning physician workforce diversity. We performed univariate and bivariate analyses on CERA survey response data. Results: We received 272 responses to the diversity survey items within the CERA program director survey from 522 possible residency director respondents, yielding a response rate of 52.1%. The majority of residency programs (78%) offer training for faculty and/or residents in unconscious/implicit bias and systemic/institutional racism. A minority of program directors report discrimination in the residency environment, most often reported by patients (13.2%) and staff (7.2%) and least often by faculty (3.3%), with most common reasons for discrimination noted as language or race/skin color. Conclusions: Most family medicine residency program directors report initiatives to address diversity in the workforce. Research is needed to develop best practices to ensure continued improvement in workforce diversity and racial climate that will enhance the quality of care and access for underserved populations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-237
Author(s):  
Hana Larasati ◽  
Theresia Titin Marlina

Background: stroke is a disorder of nervous system function that occurs suddenly and is caused by brain bleeding disorders that can affect the quality of life physical dimensions, social dimensions, psychological dimensions, environmental dimensions. Based on the result of Lumbu study (2015) the number of samples were 71 people collected data using the (WHOQOL-BREF). There were 56 people (78,9%) had the poor quality of life of post stroke. The mean of post-stroke quality of life domain was physical domain (45,27%), psychological domain (49,87%), social relations domain (48,15%) and environmental domain (50.01%). Objective: the purpose of the study was know the quality of life of the stroke patients in Outpatient Polyclinic of Private Hospital in Yogyakarta. Methods: used descriptive quantitative by using questionnaire test of purposive sampling system based on patients who have been affected of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke before, number 30 respondents. Result: quality of life of stroke patient of medium physical dimension (67%), psychological dimension (71%), social dimension (67%), dimension good environment (63%). Conclusion: the quality of life of stroke patients of physical dimension, psychological dimension, and moderate social dimension, while the quality of life of stroke patients were good environmental dimension.   Keywords: Hemorrhagic stroke, ischemic stroke, quality of life


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-223
Author(s):  
Rostislav A. Grekhov ◽  
Galina P. Suleimanova ◽  
Andrei S. Trofimenko ◽  
Liudmila N. Shilova

This review highlights the issue of psychosomatic conditions in rheumatoid arthritis, paying special attention to new researches and trends in this field. Emerging concepts in all the major parts of the problem are covered consecutively, from the impact of chronic musculoskeletal pain on the emotional state to disease influence over quality of life, socio-psychological, and interpersonal relationships. Chronic pain is closely related to emotional responses and coping ability, with a pronounced positive effect of psychotherapeutic interventions, family and social support on it. Psychosexual disorders, anxiety, depression also commonly coexist with rheumatoid arthritis, leading to further decrease in quality of life, low compliance, and high suicide risk. Influence of psychosomatic conditions on the overall treatment effect is usually underestimated by rheumatologists and general practitioners. Psychosomatic considerations are of great importance for up-to-date management of rheumatoid arthritis, as they strongly influence the quality of life, compliance, and thereby disease outcomes. Two major approaches of psychological rehabilitation exist, both coping with pain through the regulation of emotion and psychotherapeutic intervention, which not only helps patients in coping with the disease, but also aimed at improving the overall adaptation of the patient. It includes techniques of relaxation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and biofeedback therapy. Current data about the efficacy of the additional correcting therapies for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, both emerging and common ones, are discussed in the review.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (01) ◽  
pp. e88-e94
Author(s):  
Alyssa M. Kretz ◽  
Jennifer E. deSante-Bertkau ◽  
Michael V. Boland ◽  
Xinxing Guo ◽  
Megan E. Collins

Abstract Background While ethics and professionalism are important components of graduate medical education, there is limited data about how ethics and professionalism curricula are taught or assessed in ophthalmology residency programs. Objective This study aimed to determine how U.S. ophthalmology residency programs teach and assess ethics and professionalism and explore trainee preparedness in these areas. Methods Directors from accredited U.S. ophthalmology residency programs completed an online survey about components of programs' ethics and professionalism teaching curricula, strategies for assessing competence, and trainee preparedness in these areas. Results Directors from 55 of 116 programs (46%) responded. The most common ethics and professionalism topics taught were informed consent (38/49, 78%) and risk management and litigation (38/49, 78%), respectively; most programs assessed trainee competence via 360-degree global evaluation (36/48, 75%). While most (46/48, 95%) respondents reported that their trainees were well or very well prepared at the time of graduation, 15 of 48 (31%) had prohibited a trainee from graduating or required remediation prior to graduation due to unethical or unprofessional conduct. Nearly every program (37/48, 98%) thought that it was very important to dedicate curricular time to teaching ethics and professionalism. Overall, 16 of 48 respondents (33%) felt that the time spent teaching these topics was too little. Conclusion Ophthalmology residency program directors recognized the importance of an ethics and professionalism curriculum. However, there was marked variation in teaching and assessment methods. Additional work is necessary to identify optimal strategies for teaching and assessing competence in these areas. In addition, a substantial number of trainees were prohibited from graduating or required remediation due to ethics and professionalism issues, suggesting an impact of unethical and unprofessional behavior on resident attrition.


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