Contact email

amaitra@partners.org

Overview

This exploratory study looks to identify strategies from outside of medicine that could be applied to improve physician wellness. They conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 professional outside of medicine whose work involves fostering connections with other people. They find that across professions, people employ institutional and personal wellness strategies that facilitate meaningful engagement, support collegiality, and encourage processing after intense events. The results highlight universal underpinnings that support wellbeing in those engaging in people-oriented professions.

Collaborators

Rachel Schwartz, PhD
Marie C. Haverfield, PhD
Cati Brown-Johnson, PhD
Amrapali Maitra, MD, PhD
Aaron Tierney, BA
Shreyas Bharadwaj, MS
Jonathan G. Shaw, MD, MS
Farzad Azimpour, MD
Sonoo Thadaney Israni, MBA
Abraham Verghese, MD, MACP, FRCP(Edin)
Donna M. Zulman, MD

Status/Stage of Development

Completed

Measurement

Interviews covered strategies used to initiate and maintain relationships, practices that cultivate professional fulfillment and preserve wellness, and techniques that facilitate emotional presence during interactions.

Results

Institutional strategies identified include:
-scheduling that allows for self-care
-protected time to connect with colleagues
-leadership support for debriefing after traumatic events
Individual strategies include:
-emotionally protective distancing techniques
-engagement in a bidirectional exchange

Major Project Needs

• None

Additional details

Individuals interviewed include:
-protective services (e.g., police officer, firefighter)
-business/finance (e.g., restaurateur, salesperson)
-management (e.g., CEO, school principal)
-education
-art/design/entertainment (e.g., professional musician, documentary filmmaker)
-community/social services (e.g., social worker, chaplain)
-personal care/services (e.g., massage therapist, yoga instructor)

Sources

1. Schwartz R, Haverfield MC, Brown-Johnson C, et al. Transdisciplinary Strategies for Physician Wellness: Qualitative Insights from Diverse Fields. J Gen Intern Med. 2019;34(7):1251-1257. doi:10.1007/s11606-019-04913-y