A national assessment of residency wellness initiatives in emergency medicine

Background Wellness is increasingly recognized as an important component of graduate medical education. However, there are limited data regarding how wellness initiatives are enacted in practice. This study aimed to survey emergency medicine (EM) residency programs to identify current, previous, and planned wellness initiatives as well as barriers to implementation and resources utilized. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey study performed from November 2019 through January 2020. A literature search was performed to identify existing published wellness interventions and existing barriers, and these interventions and barriers were compiled to create a survey. The survey was piloted among five program directors and assistant program directors in person with feedback directly incorporated into the survey. The survey was sent to program leadership at all 223 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited EM residency programs across the United States. Results Of the programs surveyed, 95 (42.6%) were included. The most common current wellness interventions reported were resident retreats (91%), group events (90%), formal mentorship (74%), and wellness committees (66%). Reported factors that contributed to the successful implementation of wellness interventions were faculty involvement (78%), resident involvement (78%), department chair support (51%), institutional support (44%), and financial support (36%). Lack of financial support (65%) and limited time (62%) were the most commonly reported barriers that prevented the implementation of wellness interventions. Conclusions Resident wellness is an important aspect of residency training. Survey respondents generally perceived that wellness interventions were associated with wellness improvement. Successful programs have financial, institutional, and chair support.