Practices to Reduce Stress and Burnout Among Anesthesia Residents

It is well known that burnout, anxiety and depression are prevalent among the medical community, with some studies depicting a very high rate of distress in fields such as critical care.¹  Anesthesiology residents encompass a group of health care providers that are exposed to very stressful and challenging conditions, which often have psychological impact beyond the O.R. The impact that stress may have on residents includes compromising work productivity, patient care and, in severe cases, the residents’ emotional and physical well-being. Thus, it is extremely important for residents and their programs to understand the nature and challenges that our field brings upon residents in order to provide the best possible environment in which to thrive. Some studies have highlighted factors that increase burnout, such as work hours, dissatisfaction with faculty and family-related stressors.^2,4  Often the academic institution lacks the resources and tools to assist in identifying...