Wellness: A Surgical Resident's Perspective

A Systematic Review of Wellness in Plastic Surgery Training

BACKGROUND

Physician and resident wellness has been increasingly emphasized as a means of improving patient outcomes and preventing physician burnout. Few studies have been performed with a focus on wellness in plastic surgery training.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to systematically review what literature exists on the topic of wellness in plastic surgery training and critically appraise it.

METHODS

A PubMed search was performed to identify journal articles related to wellness in plastic surgery residency. Seventeen studies (6 cohort and 11 cross-sectional) met inclusion criteria and were appraised with the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOQAS) to determine the quality of the studies based on selection, comparability, and outcome metrics.

RESULTS

Critical assessment showed that the studies were highly variable in focus. Overall, the quality of the data was low, with an average NOQAS score of 4.1. Only 2 studies focused on plastic surgery residents, examining work hours and social wellness, respectively; they were awarded NOQAS scores of 3 and 4 out of 10.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this systematic review suggest that little research has been devoted to wellness in surgery training, especially in regard to plastic surgery residents, and what research that has been performed is of relatively low quality. The available research suggests a relatively high prevalence of burnout among plastic surgery residents. Evidence suggests some organization-level interventions to improve trainee wellness. Because outcomes-based data on the effects of such interventions are particularly lacking, further investigation is warranted.

The organic formation of a wellness committee: A unique, student-led approach to implementing a wellness program in medical school

BACKGROUND

Medical school wellness programs are rapidly becoming a prevalent feature of medical education. The wellness component of medical education is addressed by a multitude of different approaches, but is often led by administrative faculty rather than students.

APPROACH

The first-year medical student authors collectively established a medical school wellness committee that is entirely student-driven. The goal of the wellness committee was to organize and promote student ideas centered on six aspects of wellness.

EVALUATION

The formation, initial successes, and hurdles to the inception and continuation of the committee are described in a repeatable way.

REFLECTION

This perspective provides insight into a student-led innovation that was formally accepted by faculty and administration to serve as part of the university's overall wellness initiatives.