Background: Over 60% of physicians report burnout. This is associated with poorer quality of care, more medical errors, increased physician turnover, substance abuse and increased suicidal ideation. Both physician-directed and organization-directed interventions have shown to improve burnout, with organization-directed providing the most benefit. Activities promoting community-building and physical activity have both been shown to reduce burnout.
Purpose: Over 40% of physicians report lack of organization-directed interventions. As burnout rates climb, it is integral to address this by integrating wellness into our healthcare organizations. Here we address the efficacy of a hobby-promoting group on reducing burnout.
Description: Hospitalists at a level-I trauma center organized a Facebook (FB) wellness group entitled “The Hiking Hospitalists”. Goals included building community and focusing on personal wellness through a group challenge that utilized a points-based system. Points were awarded for participation, posts, and hiking with other members. The challenge ran from May 1 to Aug 31, 2022, and culminated in points-based awards, participation awards, and a community picnic. Sixty individuals joined the FB group of the 120 who were invited (50%). Twenty-nine members hiked and posted on the FB page (48%). During the challenge, 117 total hikes were taken, and 25 hikes were taken with at least one other member. Testimonials suggest group benefit: “Thanks for leading a group for positive/healthy change. Looking forward to continued participation” and “I have loved how this group has allowed me to connect with team members I barely knew before. My hope is this focus on community-building will continue to grow”.
Conclusions: The significant rates of physician burnout and benefit though organization-directed interventions highlight the need for stress-reduction methods in healthcare organizations. The Hiking Hospitalists had substantial participation and positive feedback, indicating the benefit of hobby-promoting groups in combatting physician burnout through promoting wellness and community.