Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Resident Physicians as Patients: Perceptions of Residents and Their Teaching Physicians

  • In Brief Report
  • Published:
Academic Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

This study aims to broaden understanding into the process by which resident physicians deal with illness and to identify areas for improvement regarding healthcare of residents and teaching physicians training to support them adequately.

Methods

A qualitative study of ten semi-structured interviews with residents who had suffered a serious illness and a focus group of teaching physicians were conducted. Analysis of the interview transcripts was performed using the grounded theory approach, with information divided into five categories: Differences between residents as patients and general patients; confidentiality; feelings and attitudes; learning from illness; and impact on work and training.

Results

There are differences between residents and the general population: In the initial stage, diagnosis is made promptly with preferential treatment shown by colleagues. Subsequently, the lack of clear guidelines can lead to poor follow-up. They accept a loss of confidentiality in the process. One of the most serious concerns felt by residents is the impact of their illness on their training as specialists, meaning that teaching physicians are charged with the important role of guaranteeing the resident’s proper recovery, return to work, and readaptation to the training program. Teaching physicians demand their own training be reinforced in these aspects.

Conclusion

There is a need to assess the great diversity observed in training-related decisions made by teaching physicians when residents fall ill. Given the differences observed, more research is required to improve the care provided to sick residents and particularly the teaching physicians training to handle them.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Sharp M, Burkart KM. Trainee wellness: why it matters, and how to promote it. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017;14(4):505–12. https://doi.org/10.1513/AnnalsATS.201612-1006PS.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Blancafort X, Masachs E, Valero S, et al. Estudio sobre la salud de los residentes de Cataluña. Barcelona: Fundación Galatea; 2009. Available at: http://www.fgalatea.org/Upload/Documents/5/2/523.pdf. Last access 21 Mar 2018.

  3. Palabindala V, Foster P, Kanduri S, Doppalapudi A, Pamarthy A, Kovvuru K. Personal health care of internal medicine residents. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2012;1(4). https://doi.org/10.3402/jchimp.v1i4.8864.

  4. Prins JT, Gazendam-Donofrio SM, Tubben BJ, van der Heijden FMMA, van de Wiel HBM, Hoekstra-Weebers JEHM. Burnout in medical residents: a review. Med Educ. 2007;41(8):788–800.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Thomas NK. Resident burnout. JAMA. 2004;292:2880–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Fox FE, Doran NJ, Rodham KJ, Taylor GJ, Harris MF, O’Connor M. Junior doctors’ experiences of personal illness: a qualitative study. Med Educ. 2011;45(12):1251–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2011.04083.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Charmaz K. Constructing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications; 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Boyce C, Neale P. Conducting in-depth interviews: a guide for designing and conducting in-depth interviews for evaluation input. Pathfinder International: Watertown; 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Moser A, Korstjens I. Series: practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 3: sampling, data collection and analysis. Eur J Gen Pract. 2018;24(1):9–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2017.1375091.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Kitzinger J. Qualitative research: introducing focus group. BMJ. 1995;311:299–302.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Roberts LW, Kim JP. Informal health care practices of residents: “Curbside” consultation and self-diagnosis and treatment. Acad Psychiatry. 2015;39:22–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Moutier C, Cornette M, Lehrmann J, Geppert C, Tsao C, DeBoard R, et al. When residents need health care: stigma of the patient role. Acad Psychiatry. 2009;33(6):431–41. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.33.6.431.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Dunn LB, Moutier C, Green Hammond KA, Lehrmann J, Roberts LW. Personal health care of residents: preferences for care outside of the training institution. Acad Psychiatry. 2008;32(1):20–30. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.32.1.20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. George S, Hanson J, Jackson JL. Physician, heal thyself: a qualitative study of physician health behaviors. Acad Psychiatry. 2014;38(1):19–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-013-0014-6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Jena AB, Meltzer DO, Press VG, Arora VM. Why physicians work when sick. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(14):1107–8. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2012.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Woolf K, Cave J, McManus IC, Dacre JE. “It gives you an understanding you can’t get from any book”. The relationship between medical students’ and doctors’ personal illness experiences and their performance: a qualitative and quantitative study. BMC Med Educ. 2007;7:50.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Mahmood T. Dealing with trainees in difficulty. Facts Views Vis Obgyn. 2012;4(1):18–23.

    PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  18. Broquet KE, Rockey PH. Teaching residents and program directors about physician impairment. Acad Pschychiatry. 2004;28:221–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Lefebvre DC. Perspective: resident physician wellness: a new hope. Acad Med. 2012;87(5):598–602. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e31824d47ff.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Ey S, Moffit M, Kinzie JM, Choi D, Girard DE. “If you build it, they will come”: attitudes of medical residents and fellows about seeking services in a resident wellness program. J Grad Med Educ. 2013;5(3):486–92. https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-12-00048.1.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all the professionals (resident physicians, teaching physicians, and collaborators) who took part, for their time and contributions. The ultimate goal of this project is to understand the experiences of resident physicians who fall ill and to propose improvements that will reduce the impact of illness on their professional development.

Funding

This study has been funded by a National Project PI18/00968 (Instituto de Salud Carlos III): To become ill is human: when the patient is a doctor.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Professionalism and Clinical Ethics Department, University of Zaragoza (Spain), IIS Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain

    Candela Pérez-Álvarez, Alba Gallego-Royo, Bárbara Marco-Gómez, Teresa Martínez-Boyero, Rogelio Altisent, María-Teresa Delgado-Marroquín & María Pilar Astier-Peña

Authors
  1. Candela Pérez-Álvarez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alba Gallego-Royo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bárbara Marco-Gómez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Teresa Martínez-Boyero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Rogelio Altisent
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. María-Teresa Delgado-Marroquín
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. María Pilar Astier-Peña
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to María Pilar Astier-Peña.

Ethics declarations

The study was approved by the Regional Committee for Ethics Research of Aragon (CEICA), Spain on October 5, 2016.

Ethical Considerations

This study was approved by Ethical Committee of Aragon (CEICA) on October 5, 2016.

Each author has completed the official ICMJE Conflict of Interest (COI) form.

The corresponding author has collected and uploaded the forms from all co-authors.

Disclosure

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there are no conflicts of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pérez-Álvarez, C., Gallego-Royo, A., Marco-Gómez, B. et al. Resident Physicians as Patients: Perceptions of Residents and Their Teaching Physicians. Acad Psychiatry 43, 67–70 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-018-0981-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-018-0981-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation