• Kerri Palamara, Jacqueline T Chu, Yuchiao Chang, Liyang Yu, Dominique Cosco, Stacy Higgins, Asher Tulsky, Ronda Mourad, Simran Singh, Karen Steinhauser, and Karen Donelan.
• Center for Physician Well-Being, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Fruit Street, Boston, MA, USA. kpalamara@partners.org.
• J Gen Intern Med. 2022 Feb 1; 37 (3): 539547539-547.

BackgroundCoaching has been shown to improve resident well-being; however, not all benefit equally.ObjectiveAssess predictors of changes in resident physician well-being and burnout in a multisite implementation of a Professional Development Coaching Program.DesignPre- and post-implementation surveys administered to participant cohorts at implementation sites in their intern year. Effect size was calculated comparing pre- and post-intervention paired data.ParticipantsIn total, 272 residents in their intern year at five internal medicine residency programs (Boston Medical Center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Duke University, Emory University, Massachusetts General Hospital). Analyses included 129 residents with paired data.InterventionsInterns were paired with a faculty coach trained in positive psychology and coaching skills and asked to meet quarterly with coaches.Main MeasuresPrimary outcomes included Maslach Burnout Inventory depersonalization (DP) and emotional exhaustion (EE) subscales, and the PERMA well-being scale. Key predictors included site, demographics, intolerance of uncertainty, hardiness-resilience, gratitude, and coping. Program moderators included were reflection, goal setting, and feedback.Key ResultsWell-being (PERMA) changed from baseline to follow-up in all participants; females showed a decline and males an increase (-1.41 vs. .83, p = 0.04). Self-reflection was associated with positive change in PERMA (mean positive change 1.93, p = 0.009). Burnout (EE) declined in non-Hispanic white residents vs. Black/Asian/Hispanic/other residents (-1.86, p = 0.021). Burnout improved with increased goal setting.ConclusionCoaching programs should consider tailored approaches to support residents whose well-being is impacted by gender and/or race, and who have higher intolerance of uncertainty and lower resilience at baseline. Coaching skills of goal setting and reflection may positively affect interns and teach coping skills.© 2021. Society of General Internal Medicine.

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