How stressful was the COVID-19 pandemic for residents specializing in family practice?. A study of stressors and psychological well-being of physicians in further training specializing in family practice (GP trainees) within a pandemic context
Abstract Background The coronavirus pandemic poses many challenges for medical personnel. During the first phase of the pandemic, psychological stress became increasingly apparent. This was a complex and difficult situation, especially for physician residents specializing in family practice (GP trai...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-12-01
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| Series: | BMC Primary Care |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-022-01921-6 |
| _version_ | 1797985529205096448 |
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| author | Anna-Maria von Oltersdorff-Kalettka Janina Meinel Karen Voigt Thomas Mundt Markus Bleckwenn Antje Bergmann Mandy Gottschall |
| author_facet | Anna-Maria von Oltersdorff-Kalettka Janina Meinel Karen Voigt Thomas Mundt Markus Bleckwenn Antje Bergmann Mandy Gottschall |
| author_sort | Anna-Maria von Oltersdorff-Kalettka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The coronavirus pandemic poses many challenges for medical personnel. During the first phase of the pandemic, psychological stress became increasingly apparent. This was a complex and difficult situation, especially for physician residents specializing in family practice (GP trainees), who were not yet able to draw on years of practical experience. In this context, the Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin Sachsen (Competence Center for Continuing Education in General Medicine Saxony) (KWASa) developed a survey on how to deal with the concerns and challenges perceived at the time. The purpose of the study was to obtain information on psychological well-being in the pandemic context, as well as on expectations, fears, and protective measures in everyday work. The aim was to identify stress factors for general practice (GP) trainees during a pandemic situation to be able to consider the support needs in the design of future residency training programs, especially for GP trainees. Methods An online questionnaire was distributed from May 5, 2020 to June 4, 2020 among GP trainees enrolled in KWASa since 2018. The questionnaire consisted of standardized items, which were evaluated descriptively, and open-ended items with free-text answers, which were evaluated according to the principle of qualitative content analysis. Results The results show the relevance of the topic as 61% of respondents indicated that they were concerned about the coronavirus. Most GP trainees also gave an affirmative response regarding emotional challenges. In this context, various stressors could be identified within both the professional and personal environments. There were four particularly salient factors: (1) the fear of infecting one’s family as well as patients with the SARS-CoV-2 virus; (2) missing or insufficiently existing protective measures; (3) an increased need for consultation due to unpredictable patient behavior as well as uncertainties in patient treatment; and (4) communication difficulties within the collegial environment. Conclusions The study aimed to identify the support needs of GP trainees in crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the survey can be used for the development of suitable continuing education programs for physicians in further training. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:18:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-24db8806b5e747bb914c9e4355c9ed47 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2731-4553 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:18:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Primary Care |
| spelling | doaj.art-24db8806b5e747bb914c9e4355c9ed472022-12-22T04:37:49ZengBMCBMC Primary Care2731-45532022-12-0123111410.1186/s12875-022-01921-6How stressful was the COVID-19 pandemic for residents specializing in family practice?. A study of stressors and psychological well-being of physicians in further training specializing in family practice (GP trainees) within a pandemic contextAnna-Maria von Oltersdorff-Kalettka0Janina Meinel1Karen Voigt2Thomas Mundt3Markus Bleckwenn4Antje Bergmann5Mandy Gottschall6Technische Universität Dresden, Medizinische Fakultät C. G. Carus der TU Dresden, Bereich Allgemeinmedizin, MKIII UKD, Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin Sachsen, Fetscherstraße 74Technische Universität Dresden, Medizinische Fakultät C. G. Carus der TU Dresden, Bereich Allgemeinmedizin, MKIII UKD, Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin Sachsen, Fetscherstraße 74Technische Universität Dresden, Medizinische Fakultät C. G. Carus der TU Dresden, Bereich Allgemeinmedizin, MKIII UKD, Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin Sachsen, Fetscherstraße 74Universität Leipzig, Medizinische Fakultät der Universität Leipzig, Selbstständige Abteilung für Allgemeinmedizin, Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin SachsenUniversität Leipzig, Medizinische Fakultät der Universität Leipzig, Selbstständige Abteilung für Allgemeinmedizin, Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin SachsenTechnische Universität Dresden, Medizinische Fakultät C. G. Carus der TU Dresden, Bereich Allgemeinmedizin, MKIII UKD, Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin Sachsen, Fetscherstraße 74Technische Universität Dresden, Medizinische Fakultät C. G. Carus der TU Dresden, Bereich Allgemeinmedizin, MKIII UKD, Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin Sachsen, Fetscherstraße 74Abstract Background The coronavirus pandemic poses many challenges for medical personnel. During the first phase of the pandemic, psychological stress became increasingly apparent. This was a complex and difficult situation, especially for physician residents specializing in family practice (GP trainees), who were not yet able to draw on years of practical experience. In this context, the Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin Sachsen (Competence Center for Continuing Education in General Medicine Saxony) (KWASa) developed a survey on how to deal with the concerns and challenges perceived at the time. The purpose of the study was to obtain information on psychological well-being in the pandemic context, as well as on expectations, fears, and protective measures in everyday work. The aim was to identify stress factors for general practice (GP) trainees during a pandemic situation to be able to consider the support needs in the design of future residency training programs, especially for GP trainees. Methods An online questionnaire was distributed from May 5, 2020 to June 4, 2020 among GP trainees enrolled in KWASa since 2018. The questionnaire consisted of standardized items, which were evaluated descriptively, and open-ended items with free-text answers, which were evaluated according to the principle of qualitative content analysis. Results The results show the relevance of the topic as 61% of respondents indicated that they were concerned about the coronavirus. Most GP trainees also gave an affirmative response regarding emotional challenges. In this context, various stressors could be identified within both the professional and personal environments. There were four particularly salient factors: (1) the fear of infecting one’s family as well as patients with the SARS-CoV-2 virus; (2) missing or insufficiently existing protective measures; (3) an increased need for consultation due to unpredictable patient behavior as well as uncertainties in patient treatment; and (4) communication difficulties within the collegial environment. Conclusions The study aimed to identify the support needs of GP trainees in crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the survey can be used for the development of suitable continuing education programs for physicians in further training.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-022-01921-6Coronavirus pandemicPhysicians in continuing educationResidents specializing in family practice (GP trainees)Psychological stress during a pandemic, resident stress, healthcare worker stress |
| spellingShingle | Anna-Maria von Oltersdorff-Kalettka Janina Meinel Karen Voigt Thomas Mundt Markus Bleckwenn Antje Bergmann Mandy Gottschall How stressful was the COVID-19 pandemic for residents specializing in family practice?. A study of stressors and psychological well-being of physicians in further training specializing in family practice (GP trainees) within a pandemic context BMC Primary Care Coronavirus pandemic Physicians in continuing education Residents specializing in family practice (GP trainees) Psychological stress during a pandemic, resident stress, healthcare worker stress |
| title | How stressful was the COVID-19 pandemic for residents specializing in family practice?. A study of stressors and psychological well-being of physicians in further training specializing in family practice (GP trainees) within a pandemic context |
| title_full | How stressful was the COVID-19 pandemic for residents specializing in family practice?. A study of stressors and psychological well-being of physicians in further training specializing in family practice (GP trainees) within a pandemic context |
| title_fullStr | How stressful was the COVID-19 pandemic for residents specializing in family practice?. A study of stressors and psychological well-being of physicians in further training specializing in family practice (GP trainees) within a pandemic context |
| title_full_unstemmed | How stressful was the COVID-19 pandemic for residents specializing in family practice?. A study of stressors and psychological well-being of physicians in further training specializing in family practice (GP trainees) within a pandemic context |
| title_short | How stressful was the COVID-19 pandemic for residents specializing in family practice?. A study of stressors and psychological well-being of physicians in further training specializing in family practice (GP trainees) within a pandemic context |
| title_sort | how stressful was the covid 19 pandemic for residents specializing in family practice a study of stressors and psychological well being of physicians in further training specializing in family practice gp trainees within a pandemic context |
| topic | Coronavirus pandemic Physicians in continuing education Residents specializing in family practice (GP trainees) Psychological stress during a pandemic, resident stress, healthcare worker stress |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-022-01921-6 |
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