How to strengthen basic competencies in self-care - a pre-post interventional study with postgraduate trainees in Family Medicine in Germany.

Introduction: Self-care includes taking care of our psychosocial health. Many experts agree that self-care should be included in training for Family Medicine residents (=FM residents), though it is unclear to what extent and by what means. The aim of this study was to evaluate competencies of FM residents in self-care and changes in competencies as well as attitudes after an educational compact intervention.Methods: The authors performed a pre-post comparison in residents who were registered in the FM residency program KWBW VerbundweiterbildungPLUS© (n=401). FM residents were offered voluntary participation within a two-day seminar including 270 minutes on self-care training (featuring a broad spectrum of input and practical experience) in 2018. The intervention group (IG; FM residents who attended the seminar) completed a baseline questionnaire directly before the seminar (T1) and 10 weeks afterwards (T2). Non-attendees (=control group; CG) were asked to fill out a basic questionnaire once. Basic questionnaires for IG and CG covered previous experiences and competencies, while the follow-up questionnaire at T2 also focused on change of competencies and attitudes. In addition to quantitative assessments, all questionnaires contained free-text questions to capture qualitative impressions as well.Results: 287 FM residents (IG: n=212; CG: n=75) participated in the study. Generally, 86.4% of FM residents had worried that their profession might endanger their personal health (T1: n=180, CG: n=68). At T2, 59.5% of IG (n=66/111) declared they would not worry about their personal health anymore (T1:T2, p<.01). IG learned to facilitate time for recreation (T1:T2, p=.04) and to use relaxation techniques (T1:T2, p=.01). Gain in competence was described in awareness of stress, self-reward, activation of personal resources and time-management. 85.6% of IG reflected their attitudes towards psychosocial health of physicians in general (n=95/111) and 22.5% of IG changed the views on their own health (n=25/111) in terms of improved risk-awareness, increased intention for self-care and change of behavior.Conclusion: A compact intervention in self-care strengthens competencies, increases awareness, and helps FM residents identify their psychosocial health risks. Further research is necessary to specify the effects and effectiveness of similar compact interventions in self-care and their long-term-results.