Modelling and effectiveness of an educational intervention for the development of professional skills in residents of Family Medicine and Community Care. PROEMPATHY

Sabela Couso Viana

Keywords: Burnout, Professional; Empathy; Therapeutic Alliance; Primary Health Care

Background:

The burnout syndrome among health care workers frequently rises to prevalence above 50%. One of the consequences most supported by the literature is the impoverishment of the therapeutic alliance, triggered by a loss of empathy of the clinician towards the patient due to the emotional exhaustion he or she suffers.

The main factors that influence the presence of this pathology are stressors related to the organization of work. However, this equation is also influenced by individual factors that can be acted upon and which are often the only tools available for professionals.

Due to the widely supported relationship of empathy, burnout and therapeutic alliance, we decided to carry out a complex training plan focused on personal development in teaching units of Family and Community Care in Spain.

Research questions:

Is effective an intervention aimed to promoting the development of personal skills throughout the training of family and community care doctors and nurses?

Method:

Pre-post study, comparing two educational interventions, one face-to-face (N=90) and other online (N=70), with a control group (N=160). Participants: All physicians and nurse trainees on Primary Health Care in three Spain Health Regions who wish to participate in the study.

The face-to-face intervention consists of 3 annual workshops, while the online one will be carried out by adapting the theoretical contents of the face-to-face intervention for online use and will pursue the same objectives and be fed by the same contents.

The variation in the level of empathy will be quantified by means of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) questionnaire, adjusted by burnout (Copenhagen questionnaire) and other variables such as resilience (Connor-Davidson), locus of control, social support (Oslo-3), sense of coherence (OLQ-13), age, sex, personality (TIPI-SP v2) and other organisational factors. Statistical analysis with GLM and GAM models.

Results:

Conclusions:

Points for discussion:

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