Research IDs Factors Linked to Internal Medicine Resident Flourishing

MONDAY, Dec. 18, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Individual- and program-level factors are associated with internal medicine resident flourishing, according to a research letter published online Dec. 19 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

David Vermette, M.D., from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues describe the Flourish Index (FI) and the Secure Flourish Index (SFI) and their domains as functions of resident characteristics and measures of resident well-being in a cross-sectional survey of residents from 14 residency programs. The survey, which included FI and SFI, overall quality of life, satisfaction with work-life balance, resilience, burnout, and residency program community well-being (RCWB), was completed by 277 residents.

The researchers observed significant positive correlations for SFI with quality of life, work-life balance, resilience, viewing medicine as a calling, intrinsic religiosity, and RCWB, while significant negative correlations were seen with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Higher mean SFI scores were seen in those who viewed medicine as a calling, had higher quality of life, had higher work-life balance, and were not experiencing emotional exhaustion or depersonalization.

"Our findings support that individual residents flourish when high-quality leadership genuinely cares for residents' well-being, peer support and camaraderie between residents is robust, the structures of the program are just, and the shared mission of the program is clear," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)