Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jul 13, 2023
Open Peer Review Period: Jul 13, 2023 - Sep 7, 2023
Date Accepted: Dec 19, 2023
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Medical Student Perceptions on Identifying and Addressing their Emotional Responses in Emergency Medicine: A Pilot Investigation
ABSTRACT
Background:
Training in acute care fields, such as emergency medicine (EM) where exposure to critically ill or injured patients is high may impact the emotional well-being of trainees and contribute to burnout or mental health symptoms. Investigating how, and if, trainees prepare for these situations is necessary to ensure they are adequately supported and to promote well-being.
Objective:
To evaluate medical student perspectives and preparedness of handing acute care and trauma emotionally.
Methods:
We conducted a remote digital survey of medical students during their EM clerkship at a large, urban academic institution. The primary outcome of interest was student-reported preparedness and comfort in handling trauma and critical care patient encounters. Secondary outcomes included awareness of well-being resources and comfort in accessing well-being resources.
Results:
A total of 57 medical students completed the voluntary survey and half of students (n=28, 49.1%) reported having witnessed the care of a critically ill or a penetrating trauma patient (e.g., victim of gun-violence). A majority (n=40, 70.2%) had thought about how these events may impact them, and over half felt unprepared to identify the emotional impact these cases may have (n=31, 54.8%) or address this emotional or mental health impact (n=36, 63.2%). Less than a quarter, 24.6% (n=14), were aware of resources and 57.9% (n=33) did not feel fully comfortable connecting with resources if needed. Students who had previously witnessed critical care were more likely to feel well prepared in identifying the emotional impact (p=0.007) and in addressing this impact (p=0.001).
Conclusions:
In this cross-sectional survey, students did not feel fully prepared to identify or address the emotional impact of working in EM, nor are they aware of or comfortable with accessing institutional resources meant to support their well-being. These findings can help inform and guide interventions by educational and academic leaders to create and promote environments that empower students with tools to identify their own emotions and connect to well-being resources. Clinical Trial: n/a
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