Burnout in Pediatric Residents: Three Years of National Survey Data.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to describe the national epidemiology of burnout in pediatric residents. METHODS: We conducted surveys of residents at 34 programs in 2016, 43 programs in 2017, and 49 programs in 2018. Survey items included the Maslach Burnout Inventory, demographics, program characteristics, personal qualities, experiences, and satisfaction with support, work-life balance, and learning environment. Analyses included cross-sectional comparisons and cross-sectional and longitudinal regression. RESULTS: More than 60% of eligible residents participated; burnout rates were >50% in all years and not consistently associated with any demographic or residency characteristics. Cross-sectional associations were significant between burnout and stress, sleepiness, quality of life, mindfulness, self-compassion, empathy, confidence in providing compassionate care (CCC), being on a high-acuity rotation, recent major medical error, recent time off, satisfaction with support and career choice, and attitudes about residency. In cross-sectional logistic regression analyses, 4 factors were associated with an increased risk of burnout: stress, sleepiness, dissatisfaction with work-life balance, and recent medical error; 4 factors were associated with lower risk: empathy, self-compassion, quality of life, and CCC. Longitudinally, after controlling for 2017 burnout and 2018 risk factors (eg, recent error, sleepiness, rotation, and time off), 2017 quality of life was associated with 2018 burnout; 2017 self-compassion was associated with lower 2018 stress; and 2017 mindfulness, empathy, and satisfaction with learning environment and career choice were associated with 2018 CCC. CONCLUSIONS: A majority of residents met burnout criteria. Several identified factors (eg, stress, sleepiness, medical errors, empathy, CCC, and self-compassion) suggest targets for interventions to reduce burnout in future studies.

Cultivating a way of being and doing: Individual strategies for physician well-being and resilience.

The practice of medicine is rewarding on many levels, but demands of the work can result in mental and emotional exhaustion, self-isolation, burnout, depression, suicidal ideation and tragically, completed suicide. It is critical to have effective strategies to address the unique stressors of a medical career, mitigate burnout, and buffer the physiologic toll of chronic stress. Using Zwack and Schweitzer's widely published description of approaches to maintaining resilience and approaches to wellness, we have organized these strategies into three broad domains relevant to medical practice: (1) gratification (connection and communication, meaning and purpose); (2) resilience building practices (self-reflection, time for oneself, self-compassion, spirituality); and (3) useful attitudes (acceptance, flexibility, self-awareness). Several techniques are described including mindfulness-based stress reduction, narrative medicine, skillful communication, and practices in self-compassion, gratitude, and spirituality. The focus of the work is to introduce a spectrum of resilience strategies for individual consideration that can be tailored and combined to meet a physician's changing needs over the course of medical training and practice.

An Overview of Pediatric Integrative Medicine.

Pediatric integrative medicine is an emerging field with significant potential to benefit children's health. It focuses on enhancing modern approaches to preventive health and expanding treatment options in complex or chronic conditions. The field fills important gaps in pediatric care and has accrued a robust body of supporting evidence to support its growth. This article provides an overview of pediatric integrative medicine, including background, scope of practice, strengths and challenges, safety and efficacy issues, and examples of how one might introduce integrative medicine into pediatric practice. [Pediatr Ann. 2019;48(6):e216-e219.].

Do Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Predict Burnout in Pediatric Residents?

PURPOSE: Burnout symptoms are common among health professionals. Gaps remain in understanding both the stability of burnout and compassion over time and relationships among burnout, self-compassion, stress, and mindfulness in pediatric residents. METHOD: The authors conducted a prospective cohort study of residents at 31 U.S. residency programs affiliated with the Pediatric Resident Burnout-Resilience Study Consortium. Residents completed online cross-sectional surveys in spring 2016 and 2017. The authors assessed demographic characteristics and standardized measures of mindfulness, self-compassion, stress, burnout, and confidence in providing compassionate care. RESULTS: Of 1,108 eligible residents, 872 (79%) completed both surveys. Of these, 72% were women. The prevalence of burnout was 58% and the level of mindfulness was 2.8 in both years; levels of stress (16.4 and 16.2) and self-compassion (37.2 and 37.6) were also nearly identical in both years. After controlling for baseline burnout levels in linear mixed-model regression analyses, mindfulness in 2016 was protective for levels of stress and confidence in providing compassionate care in 2017. Self-compassion in 2016 was protective for burnout, stress, and confidence in providing compassionate care in 2017; a one-standard-deviation increase in self-compassion score was associated with a decrease in the probability of burnout from 58% to 48%. CONCLUSIONS: Burnout and stress were prevalent and stable over at least 12 months among pediatric residents. Mindfulness and self-compassion were longitudinally associated with lower stress and greater confidence in providing compassionate care. Future studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of training that promotes mindfulness and self-compassion in pediatric residents.

Variability of Burnout and Stress Measures in Pediatric Residents: An Exploratory Single-Center Study From the Pediatric Resident Burnout-Resilience Study Consortium.

Residency is a high-risk period for physician burnout. We aimed to determine the short-term stability of factors associated with burnout, application of these data to previous conceptual models, and the relationship of these factors over 3 months. Physician wellness questionnaire results were analyzed at 2 time points 3 months apart. Associations among variables within and across time points were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to predict burnout and compassionate care. A total of 74% of residents completed surveys. Over 3 months, burnout ( P = .005) and empathy ( P = .04) worsened. The most significant cross-sectional relationship was between stress and emotional exhaustion (time 1 r = 0.61, time 2 r = 0.68). Resilience was predictive of increased compassionate care and decreased burnout ( P < .05). Mindfulness was predictive of decreased burnout ( P < .05). Mitigating stress and fostering mindfulness and resilience longitudinally may be key areas of focus for improved wellness in pediatric residents. Larger studies are needed to better develop targeted wellness interventions.

Correction: Esparham, A., et al., Pediatric Integrative Medicine: Vision for the Future. Children, 2018, 5, 111.

The authors wish to make the following corrections to their paper [...].

Pediatric Integrative Medicine: Vision for the Future.

Pediatric integrative medicine (PIM) is of significant interest to patients, with 12% of the general pediatric population and up to 80% of children with chronic conditions using PIM approaches. The field of PIM has evolved over the past 25 years, approaching child health with a number of guiding principles: preventive, context-centered, relationship-based, personalized, participatory, and ecologically sustainable. This manuscript reviews important time points for the field of PIM and reports on a series of meetings of PIM leaders, aimed at assessing the state of the field and planning for its future. Efforts in the first decade of the 2000s led to increased visibility in academic and professional pediatric organizations and through international listservs, designed to link those interested in and practicing PIM, all of which continue to flourish. The PIM leadership summits in recent years resulted in specific goals to advance PIM further in the following key areas: research, clinical practice, professional education, patient and family education, and advocacy and partnerships. Additionally, goals were developed for greater expansion of PIM professional education, broader support for pediatric PIM research, and an expanded role for PIM approaches in the provision of pediatric care.

Pediatric Integrative Medicine in Residency Program: Relationship between Lifestyle Behaviors and Burnout and Wellbeing Measures in First-Year Residents.

It is widely recognized that burnout is prevalent in medical culture and begins early in training. Studies show pediatricians and pediatric trainees experience burnout rates comparable to other specialties. Newly developed Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies in professionalism and personal development recognize the unacceptably high resident burnout rates and present an important opportunity for programs to improve residents experience throughout training. These competencies encourage healthy lifestyle practices and cultivation of self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, mindfulness, and compassion—a paradigm shift from traditional medical training underpinned by a culture of unrealistic endurance and self-sacrifice. To date, few successful and sustainable programs in resident burnout prevention and wellness promotion have been described. The University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine Pediatric Integrative Medicine in Residency (PIMR) curriculum, developed in 2011, was designed in part to help pediatric programs meet new resident wellbeing requirements. The purpose of this paper is to detail levels of lifestyle behaviors, burnout, and wellbeing for the PIMR program’s first-year residents (N = 203), and to examine the impact of lifestyle behaviors on burnout and wellbeing. The potential of the PIMR to provide interventions addressing gaps in lifestyle behaviors with recognized association to burnout is discussed.

Mind-Body Medicine in Pediatrics.

The primary goals of this Special Issue are to encourage readers to become more familiar with the range of mind-body therapies and to explore their application in the pediatric clinical setting. The Special Issue includes a deliberate mix of case studies and practical clinical guidance, with the dual goals of piquing curiosity and providing resources for clinicians interested in pursuing further training.

Pediatric Integrative Medicine.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is dedicated to optimizing the well-being of children and advancing family-centered health care. Related to this mission, the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes the increasing use of complementary and integrative therapies for children and the subsequent need to provide reliable information and high-quality clinical resources to support pediatricians. This Clinical Report serves as an update to the original 2008 statement on complementary medicine. The range of complementary therapies is both extensive and diverse. Therefore, in-depth discussion of each therapy or product is beyond the scope of this report. Instead, our intentions are to define terms; describe epidemiology of use; outline common types of complementary therapies; review medicolegal, ethical, and research implications; review education and training for select providers of complementary therapies; provide educational resources; and suggest communication strategies for discussing complementary therapies with patients and families.

The evolution of integrative medical education: the influence of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.

The University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine (AzCIM) was founded in 1994 with a primary focus of educating physicians in integrative medicine (IM). Twenty years later, IM has become an internationally recognized movement in medicine. With 40% of United States' medical schools having membership in the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health it is foreseeable that all medical students and residents will soon receive training in the principles and practices of IM. The AzCIM has the broadest range and depth of IM educational programs and has had a major influence on integrative medical education in the United States. This review describes the fellowship, residency and medical student programs at AzCIM as well as other significant national drivers of IM education; it also points out the challenges faced in developing IM initiatives. The field of IM has matured with new national board certification in IM requiring fellowship training. Allied health professional IM educational courses, as well as integrative health coaching, assure that all members of the health care team can receive training. This review describes the evolution of IM education and will be helpful to academic centers, health care institutions, and countries seeking to introduce IM initiatives.

Interprofessional Competencies in Integrative Primary Healthcare.

In October 2014, the National Center for Integrative Primary Healthcare (NCIPH) was launched as a collaboration between the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and the Academic Consortium for Integrative Health and Medicine and supported by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. A primary goal of the NCIPH is to develop a core set of integrative healthcare (IH) competencies and educational programs that will span the interprofessional primary care training and practice spectra and ultimately become a required part of primary care education. This article reports on the first phase of the NCIPH effort, which focused on the development of a shared set of competencies in IH for primary care disciplines. The process of development, refinement, and adoption of 10 "meta-competencies" through a collaborative process involving a diverse interprofessional team is described. Team members represent nursing, the primary care medicine professions, pharmacy, public health, acupuncture, naturopathy, chiropractic, nutrition, and behavioral medicine. Examples of the discipline-specific sub-competencies being developed within each of the participating professions are provided, along with initial results of an assessment of potential barriers and facilitators of adoption within each discipline. The competencies presented here will form the basis of a 45-hour online curriculum produced by the NCIPH for use in primary care training programs that will be piloted in a wide range of programs in early 2016 and then revised for wider use over the following year.

En octubre de 2014, se inauguró el Centro nacional de atención primaria integral de salud (National Center for Integrative Primary Healthcare, NCIPH) como una colaboración entre el Centro de medicina integral de la Universidad de Arizona y el Consorcio académico de salud y medicina integral, y fue subvencionado con fondos de la Administración de Recursos y Servicios de Salud. El objetivo principal del NCIPH es desarrollar un conjunto básico de competencias de asistencia sanitaria integral (SI) y programas educativos que abarquen los espectros de formación y práctica en atención primaria interprofesional y se integren en última instancia en la educación en atención primaria. Este artículo detalla la primera fase de la iniciativa del NCIPH, que se centra en el desarrollo de un conjunto de competencias compartidas en asistencia sanitaria integral para las disciplinas de atención primaria. Se describe un proceso de desarrollo, perfeccionamiento y adopción de 10 "metacompetencias" a través de un proceso de colaboración en el que participa un equipo interprofesional heterogéneo. Los miembros del equipo representan al personal de enfermería, las profesiones médicas de atención primaria, farmacia, salud pública, acupuntura, naturopatía, quiropráctica, nutrición y medicina de la conducta. Se ofrecen ejemplos de las subcompetencias específicas de cada disciplina en fase de desarrollo en cada una de las profesiones participantes, junto con los resultados iniciales de la evaluación de los posibles obstáculos y los facilitadores de la adopción dentro de cada disciplina. Las competencias que se presentan aquí constituirán la base de un plan de estudios en línea de 45 horas elaborado por el NCIPH para su uso en programas de formación en atención primaria que se pondrán a prueba a principios de 2016 y serán posteriormente revisados para la generalización de su uso el año siguiente.

Integrative Pediatrics: Looking Forward.

Increase in the prevalence of disease and illness has dramatically altered the landscape of pediatrics. As a result, there is a demand for pediatricians with new skills and a sharper focus on preventative health. Patient demand and shifting pediatric illness patterns have accelerated research in the field of pediatric integrative medicine. This emerging field can be defined as healing-oriented medicine that considers the whole child, including all elements of lifestyle and family health. It is informed by evidence and carefully weighs all appropriate treatment options. This Special Issue of Children, containing a collection of articles written by expert clinicians, represents an important educational contribution to the field. The goal of the edition is to raise awareness about integrative topics with robust supporting evidence, and to identify areas where more research is needed.

Pediatric Integrative Medicine in Residency (PIMR): Description of a New Online Educational Curriculum.

Use of integrative medicine (IM) is prevalent in children, yet availability of training opportunities is limited. The Pediatric Integrative Medicine in Residency (PIMR) program was designed to address this training gap. The PIMR program is a 100-hour online educational curriculum, modeled on the successful Integrative Medicine in Residency program in family medicine. Preliminary data on site characteristics, resident experience with and interest in IM, and residents' self-assessments of perceived knowledge and skills in IM are presented. The embedded multimodal evaluation is described. Less than one-third of residents had IM coursework in medical school or personal experience with IM. Yet most (66%) were interested in learning IM, and 71% were interested in applying IM after graduation. Less than half of the residents endorsed pre-existing IM knowledge/skills. Average score on IM medical knowledge exam was 51%. Sites endorsed 1-8 of 11 site characteristics, with most (80%) indicating they had an IM practitioner onsite and IM trained faculty. Preliminary results indicate that the PIMR online curriculum targets identified knowledge gaps. Residents had minimal prior IM exposure, yet expressed strong interest in IM education. PIMR training site surveys identified both strengths and areas needing further development to support successful PIMR program implementation.

Physician health and wellness.

Physician health and wellness is a critical issue gaining national attention because of the high prevalence of physician burnout. Pediatricians and pediatric trainees experience burnout at levels equivalent to other medical specialties, highlighting a need for more effective efforts to promote health and well-being in the pediatric community. This report will provide an overview of physician burnout, an update on work in the field of preventive physician health and wellness, and a discussion of emerging initiatives that have potential to promote health at all levels of pediatric training. Pediatricians are uniquely positioned to lead this movement nationally, in part because of the emphasis placed on wellness in the Pediatric Milestone Project, a joint collaboration between the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Board of Pediatrics. Updated core competencies calling for a balanced approach to health, including focus on nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, and effective stress management, signal a paradigm shift and send the message that it is time for pediatricians to cultivate a culture of wellness better aligned with their responsibilities as role models and congruent with advances in pediatric training. Rather than reviewing programs in place to address substance abuse and other serious conditions in distressed physicians, this article focuses on forward progress in the field, with an emphasis on the need for prevention and anticipation of predictable stressors related to burnout in medical training and practice. Examples of positive progress and several programs designed to promote physician health and wellness are reviewed. Areas where more research is needed are highlighted.

An overview of integrative therapies in asthma treatment.

Treatment of asthma lends itself to an integrative medicine approach due to the multifactorial nature of the disease. It is well established that asthma has a neuromuscular component (bronchospasm), an immunological component (inflammation), and a psychological component. This encourages the use of diverse approaches to address all avenues of pathophysiology, aiming for the most effective blend of treatment approaches possible. Integrative medicine is defined by NIH NCCAM ( http://nccam.nih.gov ) as medicine that blends the use of evidence-based complementary therapies with conventional medicine. Statistics from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), showed that approximately four out of 10 adults and approximately one in nine children and more than 50 % of children living with chronic illness, including asthma, used complementary therapies in the USA in 2007. Asthma and allergies rank among the top 15 most common medical conditions in which integrative therapies are used in both children and adults. To date, integrative treatment approaches with some evidence for benefit in asthma treatment include the following: nutrition modification, mind-body medicine, physical activity, and certain dietary supplement interventions.