Abstract
Objective: In an attempt to address universal issues of depression and burnout plaguing medical professionals across fields, we sought to effectively train neurology residents to identify and help impaired colleagues.
Background: Physician burnout has become an epidemic of sorts. Neurologists have the third highest burnout rate of all specialties; over half of US neurologists report at least 1 symptom of burnout. Efforts to address burnout in training programs have mostly been aimed at implementing wellness curriculums and offering mental health resources. Training neurology residents to effectively identify, address, and help impaired colleagues is equally crucial in these efforts, yet there is a paucity of literature on this topic.
Design/Methods: We developed an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in our simulation center that focused on identifying and addressing an impaired colleague. Each first year neurology resident in our program (N=17) interacted with a standardized professional (SP) who played the role of a depressed co-resident who was abusing alcohol. Each resident received verbal feedback from a faculty observer and written feedback from the SP regarding their ability to identify depression, inquire about substance use and suicidality, and suggest resources to address the impaired resident. Finally, residents were surveyed about their experience.
Results: Although residents reported feeling only mildly prepared for the OSCE (3.59 average, scale 1–5), the majority of residents found it to be useful (4.44 average, scale 1–5). Feedback from SPs noted most residents identified depressed feelings (70%) and provided clear information on resources (94%). However, several items were infrequently addressed including inquiring about drinking while working (6%), alcohol use (41%), alcohol abuse (12%), depressive symptoms (6%), and suicidal ideation (35%).
Conclusions: Residents may benefit from observation and feedback on identifying and addressing impaired colleagues. This may help to address the larger issue of physician depression and burnout that is prevalent in modern medicine.
Disclosure: Dr. Stainman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lewis has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nelson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pleninger has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kurzweil has nothing to disclose.
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