• Tait D Shanafelt, Colin West, Xinghua Zhao, Paul Novotny, Joseph Kolars, Thomas Habermann, and Jeff Sloan.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., USA. shanafelt.tait@mayo.edu
• J Gen Intern Med. 2005 Jul 1;20(7):559-64.

BackgroundWhile resident distress and its potential to negatively effect patient care have been well documented, little is known bout resident well-being or its potential to enhance care.ObjectiveWe measured resident well-being and explored its relationship with empathy.DesignAnonymous, cross-sectional survey.ParticipantsInternal medicine residents at Mayo Clinic Rochester (n=165, summer 2003).MeasurementsWell-being was measured using the previously validated Medical Outcomes Study 8-item Short Form (SF-8). Empathy was measured using the previously validated Perspective Taking (PT) and Empathetic Concerns (EC) Sub-scales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI).ResultsEighty-three (50%) residents responded to the survey. Mean scores for well-being as measured by the SF-8 were comparable to the general population, and empathy scores on the IRI were similar to other resident samples. Resident empathy on both the cognitive (PT) and emotive (EC) sub-scales of the IRI was higher for residents with higher mental well-being on the SF-8; however, this difference was statistically significant only for the cognitive sub-scale. The importance of a number of personal wellness promotion strategies differed for residents with higher mental well-being on the SF-8.ConclusionsHigh mental well-being was associated with enhanced resident empathy in this cross-sectional survey. Future studies need to explore the potential for high resident well-being to enhance medical care and competency in addition to exploring the negative consequences of resident distress. Studies investigating how to promote resident well-being are needed.

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