Enhancing Wellness in Radiology Residency: The Impact of a Mindfulness-Based Workshop

Purpose: Stress and burnout are widespread concerns affecting residents' well-being and the quality of patient care, emphasizing the critical need to prioritize social-emotional learning (SEL). Recognizing the importance of cultivating skills such as self-awareness, self-reflection, and mindfulness, we initiated regular 45-minute interactive sessions between faculty and residents, guided by mindfulness principles, in one of the participating hospitals of our residency program. Encouraged by positive feedback, a dedicated wellness workshop for first-year residents was subsequently introduced. This poster aims to offer an overview of the workshop and explore its potential impact on the well-being of participating residents.

Methods/Materials: The workshop was designed by faculty member with formal training in mindfulness and positive psychology, lasting approximately 4.5 hours. A total of 18 first-year residents and five radiologists with different levels of seniority participated in the workshop. The content was delivered through a combination of interactive and didactic sessions including self-reflection, mindfulness exercises, and an open question and answer (Q&A) session with a group of panelists. To measure the effectiveness of the workshop, participants completed the validated 15-question Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) before and two months after the workshop.

Results: All of the participants (n=23) found the workshop to be engaging and insightful, with 70% indicating interest in attending future workshops. The Q&A session was the most well-received aspect of the workshop. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the pre and post FFMQ scores likely confounded by the small sample size and short follow-up period.

Conclusions: Many studies have demonstrated that mindfulness-based interventions can significantly improve the psychological well-being of healthcare professionals. Our workshop served as an initiative to promote resilience and well-being among residents. Future studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up period will be essential to assess it’s effectiveness in residency training.