Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39890160›Full record

ArticleBMJ open quality2025

What about physician wellness? Impact of a quality improvement intervention.

Pamela Mathura, Isabella Pascheto, Jennifer Ringrose, Gillian Ramsay

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open quality, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Pamela MathuraUniversity of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Isabella PaschetoUniversity of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-5256-4762
Jennifer RingroseUniversity of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Gillian RamsayUniversity of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada gramsay@ualberta.ca.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEmergency department (ED) consultations with general internal medicine (GIM) are required when patients need admission, assistance with safe disposition or evaluation and management of complex or acute medical needs. GIM physicians often balance responsibilities between hospital wards and the ED, which can lead to delayed ED consultations, difficulty balancing workload and potential burn-out. To address this issue, a quality improvement (QI) initiative was trialled, establishing a dedicated GIM ED consultation service to manage these duties independently. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of this intervention on physician wellness.

methodsA pre-post design was used, with two questionnaires adapted from the validated Mini Z version 2.0 (Zero Burnout Program) Worklife measure for clinicians. These were distributed via Google Forms to collect feedback from participating GIM physicians before and after the intervention. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the Mini Z outcome measurement scale.

results13 physicians completed the surveys. Applying the Mini Z scale, the GIM ED consultation service had no impact on physician well-being or burn-out. There was a minor increase in satisfaction (1 point) and stress levels (2 points), and the working environment worsened slightly (1 point). Comparing preintervention and postintervention survey responses, job satisfaction improved (36%), while reports of 'burn-out' (23%) and 'beginning to burn out' (8%) decreased. Postintervention, physicians reported decreased time for documentation (23%), a perception of a more chaotic work environment (23%) and an increase in work encroaching on personal time (15%) when on the ED consultation service. Additionally, there was a 23% reduction in the likelihood of needing to reduce clinical teaching unit service weeks.

conclusionWhen conducting QI initiatives, consider measuring the wellness of physicians and other healthcare providers. Proactively integrating wellness strategies into interventions requires further exploration which may enhance participant experience and initiative sustainability.

Indexed as

PhysiciansQuality ImprovementAdultBurnout, ProfessionalEmergency Service, HospitalFemaleHumansJob SatisfactionMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesAttitude of Health PersonnelHealthcare quality improvementHospital medicineQuality improvementWork-Life Balance

Identifiers

PMID39890160
PMCPMC11792497

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.