'What is 'wellbeing' to doctors in training, and how do we improve it? Results of a quantitative survey and thematic analysis of internal medicine trainees.

INTRODUCTION

The wellbeing of medical trainees has come into sharp focus in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Workforce pressures are well documented, as is the need to retain staff. There are a number of initiatives to try and improve the wellbeing of staff, including the introduction of wellbeing and education dellows for stage 1 internal medicine trainees in some regions. We recognise that there is often a gap between what is offered and what is wanted or accessed by trainees.

OBJECTIVE

This work aims to identify what 'wellbeing' means to this group of staff, and to provide evidence for interventions that they would find useful.

METHODS

We distributed a survey to the target group of staff in London, followed by a series of structured interviews and focus groups. We used a practical thematic analysis to explore the determining factors of trainee wellbeing.

RESULTS

156 trainees responded to the survey, and 15 participated in the interviews and focus groups. Seven themes were identified: culture, helplessness and distrust, individual circumstances, physiological needs/safety, rotas and work patterns, stress at work, and value.

CONCLUSION

This study identifies several key factors related to medical trainee wellbeing. To our knowledge, it is the first looking specifically at stage 1 internal medicine trainees in the UK.