Abstract: PO1057
Well-Being of Nephrology Fellows: Evolution over the Course of a Pandemic Year
Session Information
- Educational Research
November 04, 2021 | Location: On-Demand, Virtual Only
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Educational Research
- 800 Educational Research
Authors
- Shah, Hitesh H., Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, New York, United States
- Pivert, Kurtis, American Society of Nephrology, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Halbach, Susan M., Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington, United States
- Burgner, Anna Marie, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
- Ko, Benjamin S., University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Chan, Lili, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States
- Boyle, Suzanne, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Waitzman, Joshua S., Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Sozio, Stephen M., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Background
We sought to assess changes in well-being of nephrology fellows over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.
Methods
The Resident Well-Being Index (RWBI), a validated tool assessing physician distress, was distributed as part of ASN’s annual nephrology fellow survey to 920 current adult, pediatric, and adult/pediatric fellows. An RWBI ≥ 5 (range 0–7) indicated distress. Demographic and fellowship factors associated with meeting the distress threshold were evaluated in univariable and multivariable logistic regression.
Results
A total of 511 fellows participated (56% response), of whom 463 completed the RWBI instrument. After 1 year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a higher proportion of nephrology fellows meeting the RWBI distress threshold—22% in 2021 versus 15% in 2020. Female nephrology fellows had higher RWBI scores (median 3 [IQR 5]) than their male colleagues (median 1 [IQR 3]). Higher proportions of 1st-year fellows (50% vs 42% for 2nd years, OR 0.61 for 2nd years [95% CI 037–0.99], p=0.046) and women (27% vs 18% of men, OR 1.71 [95%CI 1.06–2.76], p=0.028) met the distress threshold (Figure 1). There were no significant differences by race, ethnicity, medical school location, or adult vs pediatric fellowship. Despite the higher proportion of distress overall, 88% of respondents would recommend nephrology to medical students and residents.
Conclusion
Our follow-up assessment of nephrology fellows’ well-being after the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic indicate the continued need for supportive measures to ensure the health of the future nephrology workforce, especially among 1st year and women trainees.
Figure 1: Association of Distress with Demographic Varaibles on Univariable and Multivariable Logistic Regression