1135 Addressing stress in the paediatric workplace through focus groups

BackgroundStress in the workplace is an increasingly visible phenomenon affecting physicians across specialties. Paediatrics has seen markedly elevated burnout together with falling application rates and rising trainee dropout rates. This mix is disastrous for morale and staffing which, in turn, perpetuates the problem. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic with resultant redeployment of paediatric staff to adult departments has served only to exacerbate pre-existing workplace stress.Existing structures such as Balint Groups or Schwartz Rounds have a place within departments, exploring cases or emotional response to working within the clinical environment. We aimed to provide a space to allow paediatric doctors to freely explore their workplace experiences, clinical and emotional, in a safe, confidential environment with peers facilitated by a clinical psychologist.ObjectivesTo provide a safe and confidential environment for paediatric clinicians of all grades to explore their workplace experiences in the company of their peers and with the guidance of a clinical psychologist as facilitator.To use these sessions identify stressors in the workplace and explore coping mechanisms.MethodsInvitations to attend small focus groups of no more than 9 people were sent to clinicians of all grades working in general paediatrics, neonates, paediatric hepatology and paediatric emergency medicine at our hospital. These groups were given protected time and were facilitated by a clinical psychologist.Each group was subdivided into groups of 3 doctors. Every person was asked to share stories of times they felt stressed at work and to separate their thoughts according to these questions:What is your experience of stress and burnout at work?How did it leave you feeling at the time or on reflection?What did you do to attempt to cope with how you were feeling at the time?What would be needed to support you: organisational factors, personal factors, increased support?Tell us about what you have found helpful and what would be needed in an ideal world?In each subgroup there were 3 roles;storyteller, listener, and an observer who would take notes on the interaction. These would rotate every 10 minutes.Once everyone had related their stories the group would reconvene to discuss and collate themes in a section facilitated by a psychologist. Avenues of communication were available post-session via email and a survey to get in touch with the faculty regarding any outstanding issues. All information gathered was confidential.ResultsThemes collected centred on persistent low morale, feelings of helplessness, uselessness and dread. All tallied well with issues we know affect existing and putative paediatric trainees.ConclusionsResults indicate that attendees found the forum a useful and open place to share their experiences, and that that this would be valuable as a regular event in the paediatric calendar, particularly with the additional stress placed on clinicians with redeployment. As such, we hope to present a replicable session template which can be adopted by other departments and hospitals. Through increased adoption and feedback the template could be improved to best fit those making use of the sessions.