BACKGROUND:
Burnout, depression, and anxiety are increasingly recognized as common among health care providers. Risks for these conditions are exacerbated in low-resource settings by excessive workload, high disease burden, resource shortage, and stigma against mental health issues. Based on discussions and requests to learn more about burnout during the Vital Anaesthesia Simulation Training (VAST), our team developed VAST Wellbeing, a 1-day course for health care providers in low-resource settings to recognize and mitigate burnout and to promote personal and professional well-being.
METHODS:
This mixed-methods study used quantitative pre- and postcourse surveys using validated mental health measures and qualitative semistructured interviews to explore participants’ experience of VAST Wellbeing during and after the course. Quantitative outcomes included burnout and professional fulfillment as measured by the Professional Fulfillment Index and general well-being as measured by the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale.
RESULTS:
Twenty-six participants from 9 countries completed the study. In the immediate postcourse survey, study participants rated the course overall as “very good” (60.7%) and “excellent” (28.6%). Quantitative analysis showed no statistical differences in levels of work exhaustion, interpersonal disengagement, burnout, professional fulfillment, or general mental well-being 2 months after the course. Five themes on the impact of VAST Wellbeing were identified during qualitative analysis: (1) raising awareness, breaking taboos; (2) not feeling alone; (3) permission and capacity for personal well-being; (4) workplace empowerment; and (5) VAST Wellbeing was relevant, authentic, and needed.
CONCLUSIONS:
Causes of burnout are complex and multidimensional. VAST Wellbeing did not change measures of burnout and fulfillment 2 months postcourse but did have a meaningful impact by raising awareness, reducing stigma, fostering connection, providing skills to prioritize personal well-being, and empowering people to seek workplace change.
KEY POINTS
- Question: How do anesthesia providers working in a low-resource setting perceive the impact of their participation in the Vital Anaesthesia Simulation Training (VAST) Wellbeing course?
- Findings: VAST Wellbeing was perceived by study participants to be relevant, authentic, and needed, despite quantitative results not reaching significance when measuring domains of burnout, professional fulfillment, and general mental well-being.
- Meaning: VAST Wellbeing raised awareness of mental health concerns, helped participants to feel less alone, and reduced taboos related to mental health issues while giving them permission to prioritize personal well-being and empowerment to seek workplace change.
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