RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Resident physicians are at an increased risk of burnout due to their high-pressure work environments and busy schedules which can lead to poor mental health outcomes and decreased performance quality. Given variability among training programs and institutions across the United States, stressors likely differ, and interventions must be tailored to the local context, but few tools exist to assist in this process. METHODS: A tool commonly used in adverse event analysis was adapted into a "retrospective stressor analysis" (RSA) for burnout prevention. The RSA was tested in a group of chief residents studying quality improvement and patient safety in veteran's hospitals across the United States. The RSA prompted them to identify stressors experienced during their residencies across four domains (clinical practice, career development, personal life, and personal health), perceived causes of the stressors, and potential mitigation strategies. RESULTS: Fifty-eight chief residents completed the RSA. Within the clinical domain, they describe the stress of striving for efficiency and clinical skills acquisition, all while struggling to provide quality care in high pressure environments. In the career domain, identifying mentors and opportunities for research engagement was stressful. Within their personal lives, a lack of time-constrained their ability to maintain hobbies, relationships, and attend meaningful social events while also reducing their engagement in healthy behaviors such as exercise, optimal nutrition, and attending medical appointments. Within each of these domains, they identified and described stress mitigation strategies at the individual, departmental, and national levels. CONCLUSION: The RSA is a novel tool that can identify national trends in burnout drivers while simultaneously providing tailored prevention strategies for residents and their training sites.

Asunto(s)

Asunto(s)

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Our goal is to examine the association of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) with symptoms of depression using a smartphone-based questionnaire survey. METHODS: An electronic survey was administered through a smartphone app asking respondents about current depressive symptoms using the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS), and asking whether they had ever or recently experienced RAS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine associations. RESULTS: A total of 478 individuals completed the survey, with 64% reporting a lifetime prevalence of RAS, and 21% experiencing an aphthous ulcer within the last month. RAS was significantly associated with increased sleep, decreased appetite, low energy, and feeling sluggish. RAS was not associated with overall depression severity as measured by total QIDS score, or with cardinal features of depression such as sadness, insomnia, impaired concentration, self-blame, thoughts of death, or anhedonia. Prevalence of RAS did not differ by age, sex, or smoking status, but was less likely in blacks and Asians compared with whites. CONCLUSIONS: RAS was a common phenomenon in this sample of mostly depressed individuals, and was associated with some neurovegetative symptoms of depression, but not depression severity.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

AIM: To estimate the prevalence and risk factors for vitreous floaters in the general population. METHODS: An electronic survey was administered through a smartphone app asking various demographic and health questions, including whether users experience floaters in their field of vision. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 603 individuals completed the survey, with 76% reporting that they see floaters, and 33% reporting that floaters caused noticeable impairment in vision. Myopes were 3.5 times more likely (P=0.0004), and hyperopes 4.4 times more likely (P=0.0069) to report moderate to severe floaters compared to those with normal vision. Floater prevalence was not significantly affected by respondent age, race, gender, and eye color. CONCLUSION: Vitreous floaters were found to be a very common phenomenon in this non-clinical general population sample, and more likely to be impairing in myopes and hyperopes.