Abookire Susan A, Ayala Sujata G, Shadick Nancy A
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Glob Adv Integr Med Health. 2024 Apr 9;13:27536130241246503. doi: 10.1177/27536130241246503. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
Physician burnout has reached epidemic proportions. Although burnout is rooted in systems, practices for physician wellbeing and community can address exhaustion, burnout, and isolation. Inspired by the Japanese practice , forest therapy/bathing (FT) is a nature immersion practice that improves wellbeing in a group setting.
This program offered guided FT experiences to frontline faculty physicians in the Department of Medicine and evaluated potential for impact on burnout, resilience, and community.
Faculty physicians were recruited via email invitations to a free Forest Therapy group experience in the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, MA. Participants completed pre-and post-course surveys and evaluated its value as a community experience. Surveys measured burnout, resilience, and qualitative feedback on the experience.
Twenty-seven faculty completed the baseline survey, twenty-three faculty participated, with 19 survey respondents. At baseline, 85% reported feeling burned out at least once a month. 46% reported feeling burned out more than a few times a month. 83% of participants responded that forest therapy could help them with the feeling of being burned out from work. Post-intervention, 100% of participants rated the experience as very or extremely valuable. 96% of participants reported they were interested in more frequent forest therapy sessions. 100% of participants would recommend this practice to other faculty. 70% of respondents reported the program could help them with burnout. Despite high baseline resilience, 94% of participants reported that forest therapy could help with stressful events and setbacks. Post-intervention, participants reported feeling relaxed, at peace, and calm.
This pilot demonstrates feasibility and acceptability for physicians of FT. Participants would consider recommending FT to their colleagues, and agreed that FT can help with wellbeing, and expressed enthusiasm for the community experience. This program may also be successfully incorporated into programs for leadership, teambuilding, and support after adverse events.
医生职业倦怠已达到流行程度。尽管职业倦怠源于系统，但促进医生身心健康和社群建设的做法可以缓解疲惫、倦怠和孤立感。受日本森林疗法/森林浴实践的启发，森林疗法是一种让人们置身自然的实践活动，能在群体环境中提升幸福感。
本项目为医学系一线教员医生提供了有指导的森林疗法体验，并评估其对职业倦怠、恢复力和社群建设的潜在影响。
通过电子邮件邀请医学系教员医生参加在马萨诸塞州波士顿阿诺德树木园举办的免费森林疗法小组体验活动。参与者在课程前后完成了调查问卷，并评估了其作为一种社群体验的价值。调查问卷测量了职业倦怠、恢复力以及对该体验的定性反馈。
27名教员完成了基线调查，23名教员参与了活动，其中19人回复了调查问卷。在基线时，85%的人报告称每月至少有一次感到职业倦怠。46%的人报告称每月有多次感到职业倦怠。83%的参与者表示森林疗法有助于缓解工作带来的职业倦怠感。干预后，100%的参与者将该体验评为非常有价值或极其有价值。96%的参与者表示他们有兴趣更频繁地参加森林疗法课程。100%的参与者会向其他教员推荐这种做法。70%的受访者表示该项目有助于缓解他们的职业倦怠。尽管基线时恢复力较高，但94%的参与者表示森林疗法有助于应对压力事件和挫折。干预后，参与者报告感到放松、平静和安宁。
该试点项目证明了森林疗法对医生的可行性和可接受性。参与者会考虑向同事推荐森林疗法，并一致认为森林疗法有助于提升幸福感，且对这种社群体验表现出热情。该项目也可能成功纳入领导力培训、团队建设以及不良事件后的支持项目。
