Results

Data from our Balint Groups:

BMC Health Services Research article:

• “Our qualitative data suggest that Balint-like groups may provide one mechanism for alleviating isolation, moral distress and other challenges by normalizing and validating physician’s experiences, creating community and providing insights into how colleagues navigate these challenges. Balint-like groups provide a low-cost support mechanism that benefit both individual physicians and the institution through creating community and providing opportunities to learn new practice strategies that can lead to more meaningful clinical encounters.”

Developing Institutional Infrastructure for Physician Wellness: Qualitative Insights from VA Physicians (Click for full article)

Qualitative Data:

• “It was helpful to feel part of a larger community.  I think it’s really easy to feel alone here.  I just don’t really sit and talk to anybody.”

• “I think one major thing was just hearing about ... knowing that other people in our group were also experiencing very similar types of difficult interactions and had similar feelings or trouble coping with certain situations. So that in itself is just helpful. It kind of opens the door, I think, to talk a little bit more with each other about those things and be supportive to each other.” 

• “I loved the Balint group. I’m so, so sad when it ended. I loved the camaraderie of it. I could go through days and weeks on end and not really have a conversation with another provider. And I loved that we had time set aside to just feel like I have friends here, and that we could bounce ideas off each other to hear that other people share the same challenges that I have.”

• “Definitely [the group has] helped me feel more calm at work, so in that sense I’m sure it’s been helpful. It’s on my mind a lot more. When I have an encounter with a patient, I’ll think, “This sounds like something that happened in the group, and this is how this person would’ve handled it.”

Quantitative Pre-Post Data on Modules: Resident Evaluations

• Residents perceived the material to be highly relevant prior to presentation.  This perception grew significantly with further exposure to the material.

• A significant increase was observed in residents’ knowledge and their comfort applying knowledge to clinical practice.

• The overall perception of the teaching quality of the modules was high.