Zabar S, Hanley K, Horlick M, Cocks P, Altshuler L, Watsula-Morley A, Berman R, Hochberg M, Phillips D, Kalet A, Gillespie C. J. Gen. Intern Med. 2019; 34(5): 773-777.
BACKGROUND: Few programs train residents in recognizing and responding to distressed colleagues at risk for suicide.
AIM: To assess interns' ability to identify a struggling colleague, describe resources, and recognize that physicians can and should help colleagues in trouble.
SETTING: Residency programs at an academic medical center.
PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty-five interns.
PROGRAM DESIGN: An OSCE case was designed to give interns practice and feedback on their skills in recognizing a colleague in distress and recommending the appropriate course of action. Embedded in a patient "sign-out" case, standardized health professionals (SHP) portrayed a resident with depressed mood and an underlying drinking problem. The SHP assessed intern skills in assessing symptoms and directing the resident to seek help.
PROGRAM EVALUATION: Interns appreciated the opportunity to practice addressing this situation. Debriefing the case led to productive conversations between faculty and residents on available resources. Interns' skills require further development: while 60% of interns asked about their colleague's emotional state, only one-third screened for depression and just under half explored suicidal ideation. Only 32% directed the colleague to specific resources for his depression (higher among those that checked his emotional state, 54%, or screened for depression, 80%).
DISCUSSION: This OSCE case identified varying intern skill levels for identifying and assessing a struggling colleague while also providing experiential learning and supporting a culture of addressing peer wellness.
Language: en
Keywords
Humans; Adult; Female; Male; Attitude of Health Personnel; Depression; depression; burnout; substance use; Internship and Residency; OSCE; Help-Seeking Behavior; Education, Medical, Graduate; struggling colleague