Resident Physician Self-Care: A "Sometimes" Reality
14. International Trakya Family Medicine Congress, Edirne, Türkiye, 24 - 27 Nisan 2025, cilt.1, ss.36-38, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Tam Metin Bildiri
- Cilt numarası: 1
- Basıldığı Şehir: Edirne
- Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.36-38
- Trakya Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Aim:
Residency training is notoriously demanding, placing significant
strain on physician well-being. Effective self-care is crucial for
resident physicians to thrive professionally and personally, and
deliver optimal patient care. This study aimed to explore selfcare attitudes and practices among resident physicians.
Method:
A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 113 resident
physicians at Trakya University. Participants responded to a
questionnaire assessing various self-care behaviors, including
sleep, exercise, diet, breaks, stress management, personal
relationships, social activities, support-seeking, work-life
balance, well-being reflection, and leave utilization.
Results:
The most frequent response across all self-care domains was
"sometimes," highlighting an awareness of self-care importance
but inconsistent implementation in daily routines. While "often"
and "very often" responses were generally low, concerning
proportions of residents reported "never" or "rarely" engaging in
essential self-care practices. Specifically, notable deficits were
identified in areas such as sleep duration (18.6% rarely/never
sleep 7-9 hours), regular exercise (23% rarely/never exercise),
stress management activities (37.5% rarely/never engage), and
making time for personal relationships (35.4% rarely/never
prioritize). Work-life balance was also a significant concern, with
54% rarely/never feeling they have a good balance.
Conclusions:
This study reveals a "sometimes" reality of self-care among
resident physicians, indicating a gap between understanding its
importance and consistent practice. These findings underscore
the need for targeted interventions to promote consistent selfcare habits, address work-life balance, encourage help-seeking
behaviors, and improve time management skills. Institutional
and departmental policies supporting self-care are crucial to
create a supportive environment and mitigate burnout risk,
ultimately fostering well-being and enhancing professional
performance among resident physicians.