Strategies for promoting the well-being of postgraduate medical trainees.

We read with interest the article by Taylor et al 1 about the positive impact of their interventions for managing stress among junior doctors. Trainee burnout is a significant issue that is associated with an adverse impact on clinicians’ health and risks compromising patient safety due to medical errors.2 Furthermore, from a healthcare organisation perspective, burnout poses logistical challenges due to staff absenteeism. In its report ‘ Caring for doctors, caring for patients ’, the UK General Medical Council (GMC) states that doctors’ well-being is ‘ vital because there is abundant evidence that workplace stress in healthcare organisations affects quality of care for patients as well as doctors’ own health ’.3 To successfully support trainees, it is important to recognise that they are a heterogeneous group of individuals for whom a variety of strategies may need to be considered to meet their diverse needs and preferences. There is a desire among trainees to …