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Healthcare delivery, economics and global health
Original research
Health, burnout and well-being of UK cardiology trainees: insights from the British Junior Cardiologists’ Association Survey
  1. William John Jenner1,
  2. Oliver Ian Brown2,
  3. Abigail Moore3,
  4. Thomas Gilpin4,
  5. Holly Morgan5,
  6. Sarah Bowater6,
  7. Denise Braganza1,
  8. C Fielder Camm7,8
  1. 1Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, UK
  2. 2Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
  3. 3Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
  4. 4Cardiology Department, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
  5. 5King’s College London, London, UK
  6. 6Department of Cardiology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
  7. 7Keble College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
  8. 8Department of Cardiology, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Reading, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Oliver Ian Brown, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK; medoib{at}leeds.ac.uk

Abstract

Background Cardiology training is demanding and associated with high workloads. Poor lifestyle and health among clinicians may stretch workforces and impact patient care. It has not been established what impact training in cardiology has on the doctors undertaking it. We aimed to establish the prevalence of physical and mental illness, burnout and the ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle among cardiology trainees in the United Kingdom (UK).

Methods The 2023 British Junior Cardiologists’ Association training survey included questions on ill health, burnout, healthy living and invited responders to complete screening questionnaires for depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9; PHQ-9) and anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7; GAD-7). Significant anxiety and depression were defined as scoring within the moderate or severe range (PHQ-9≥10; GAD-7≥10). Burnout was a self-reported outcome. Poisson regression was used to determine prevalence ratios (PR) between univariate predictors of anxiety, depression and burnout.

Results Of 398 responders, 212 consented to answer health and well-being questions. Prior physical and mental health conditions were reported by 9% and 7% of trainees, respectively. Significant depression and anxiety symptoms were reported by 25% and 18% of trainees, respectively. Burnout was reported by 76% of trainees. Less than full-time trainees reported greater anxiety (PR 2.92, 95% CI 1.39 to 6.16, p<0.01) and depression (PR 3.66, 95% CI 2.24 to 5.98, p<0.01), while trainees with dependents reported less burnout (PR 0.77, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.92, p<0.01). Exercise, good sleep quality and maintaining a healthy diet were associated with less burnout and depressive symptoms (p<0.05). Half of trainees reported training having a negative impact on well-being, driven by the amount of service provision, curriculum requirements and lack of training opportunities.

Conclusions The prevalence of anxiety, depression and burnout is high among UK cardiology trainees. Further work should establish the impact of cardiology trainee health on the quality of patient care. Training bodies should consider how occupational factors may contribute to health.

  • Education, Medical
  • Delivery of Health Care
  • Quality of Health Care

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request.

https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2024-324418

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available upon reasonable request.

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    Footnotes

    • WJJ and OIB are joint first authors.

    • X @will_jenner, @tom_cardio, @cfcamm

    • Contributors WJJ and OIB analysed the results, wrote the manuscript and are joint first authors. AM analysed the results and reviewed the manuscript. TG planned the survey and collected the results. HM, SB, DB reviewed and contributed to the manuscript and advised on recommendations for trainees. CFC planned the survey, collected the results, reviewed the manuscript and is the guarantor. All authors reviewed the final manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research. Refer to the Methods section for further details.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer-reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.