Cargando…

Balint in the time of COVID-19: participant and facilitator experience of virtual Balint groups compared with in-person

AIMS: Our Trust increased Balint group provision, relocating virtually for psychiatry doctors to explore the emotional impact of clinical practice and doctor-patient relationships, during unfamiliar challenges of the pandemic. This unique context allowed comparison of multiple virtual and face-to-fa...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Samnani, Sheliza, Awal, Masud
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Cambridge University Press 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8770516/
http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2021.432
_version_ 1784635391224053760
author Samnani, Sheliza
Awal, Masud
author_facet Samnani, Sheliza
Awal, Masud
author_sort Samnani, Sheliza
collection PubMed
description AIMS: Our Trust increased Balint group provision, relocating virtually for psychiatry doctors to explore the emotional impact of clinical practice and doctor-patient relationships, during unfamiliar challenges of the pandemic. This unique context allowed comparison of multiple virtual and face-to-face (F2F) Balint-type group experiences for participants and facilitators. METHOD: In March 2020, existing core trainee (CT) year 1 and 2, higher trainee (ST) and consultant Balint groups became virtual, with new CT3 and Speciality Doctor and Associate Specialist (SAS) virtual Balint groups established. All 57 participants and 5 facilitators were sent an anonymous electronic survey to retrospectively rate virtual Balint (March-August 2020) and their preceding F2F Balint group (suggesting September 2019-February 2020) experience. RESULT: The response rate was 89% for participants (51 respondents) and 100% for facilitators (5 respondents). For group participants, 90% (virtual) and 78% (F2F) agreed or strongly agreed that Balint group provided an opportunity to explore challenging aspects of clinical work. 76% (virtual) and 71% (F2F) agreed or strongly agreed that it made them feel more supported. Almost 50% agreed or strongly agreed that virtual and F2F Balint group helped work feel less stressful. Both ratings and free-text feedback emphasised virtual Balint attendance being easier. Facilitators rated virtual and F2F formats similarly highly with regards to exploring difficult doctor-patient interactions, richness of discussions and their enjoyment. Facilitators felt virtual attendance was easier but more draining, with more difficult adherence to Balint group etiquette and boundaries. 82% of participants and 75% of facilitators agreed or strongly agreed that virtual format made them more likely to attend future Balint groups. The rich pool of free-text comments received were predominantly positive, whilst noting challenges during virtual Balint in remaining present, with more distractions (for participants) and additional difficulty accessing group dynamics (for facilitators). CONCLUSION: Participant and facilitator responses indicate Balint-type groups being professionally and clinically beneficial across different psychiatrist grades, and promoting clinician wellbeing when both F2F and virtual during pandemic-related restrictions. Facilitator ratings (unlike participants) suggested specific virtual process challenges such as feeling more drained, perhaps in part due to technical application issues around this emerging format. Both participants and facilitators reported attendance being easier when virtual. Although some suggested returning to F2F post-COVID, more preferred to continue virtually or utilise a blended format. This was particularly for non-CT groups where geographical challenges (e.g. region-wide ST Balint) or competing clinical demands (e.g. consultant/SAS Balint) made regular commitment and attendance more difficult.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-8770516
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2021
publisher Cambridge University Press
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-87705162022-01-31 Balint in the time of COVID-19: participant and facilitator experience of virtual Balint groups compared with in-person Samnani, Sheliza Awal, Masud BJPsych Open Education and Training AIMS: Our Trust increased Balint group provision, relocating virtually for psychiatry doctors to explore the emotional impact of clinical practice and doctor-patient relationships, during unfamiliar challenges of the pandemic. This unique context allowed comparison of multiple virtual and face-to-face (F2F) Balint-type group experiences for participants and facilitators. METHOD: In March 2020, existing core trainee (CT) year 1 and 2, higher trainee (ST) and consultant Balint groups became virtual, with new CT3 and Speciality Doctor and Associate Specialist (SAS) virtual Balint groups established. All 57 participants and 5 facilitators were sent an anonymous electronic survey to retrospectively rate virtual Balint (March-August 2020) and their preceding F2F Balint group (suggesting September 2019-February 2020) experience. RESULT: The response rate was 89% for participants (51 respondents) and 100% for facilitators (5 respondents). For group participants, 90% (virtual) and 78% (F2F) agreed or strongly agreed that Balint group provided an opportunity to explore challenging aspects of clinical work. 76% (virtual) and 71% (F2F) agreed or strongly agreed that it made them feel more supported. Almost 50% agreed or strongly agreed that virtual and F2F Balint group helped work feel less stressful. Both ratings and free-text feedback emphasised virtual Balint attendance being easier. Facilitators rated virtual and F2F formats similarly highly with regards to exploring difficult doctor-patient interactions, richness of discussions and their enjoyment. Facilitators felt virtual attendance was easier but more draining, with more difficult adherence to Balint group etiquette and boundaries. 82% of participants and 75% of facilitators agreed or strongly agreed that virtual format made them more likely to attend future Balint groups. The rich pool of free-text comments received were predominantly positive, whilst noting challenges during virtual Balint in remaining present, with more distractions (for participants) and additional difficulty accessing group dynamics (for facilitators). CONCLUSION: Participant and facilitator responses indicate Balint-type groups being professionally and clinically beneficial across different psychiatrist grades, and promoting clinician wellbeing when both F2F and virtual during pandemic-related restrictions. Facilitator ratings (unlike participants) suggested specific virtual process challenges such as feeling more drained, perhaps in part due to technical application issues around this emerging format. Both participants and facilitators reported attendance being easier when virtual. Although some suggested returning to F2F post-COVID, more preferred to continue virtually or utilise a blended format. This was particularly for non-CT groups where geographical challenges (e.g. region-wide ST Balint) or competing clinical demands (e.g. consultant/SAS Balint) made regular commitment and attendance more difficult. Cambridge University Press 2021-06-18 /pmc/articles/PMC8770516/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2021.432 Text en © The Author(s) 2021 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Education and Training
Samnani, Sheliza
Awal, Masud
Balint in the time of COVID-19: participant and facilitator experience of virtual Balint groups compared with in-person
title Balint in the time of COVID-19: participant and facilitator experience of virtual Balint groups compared with in-person
title_full Balint in the time of COVID-19: participant and facilitator experience of virtual Balint groups compared with in-person
title_fullStr Balint in the time of COVID-19: participant and facilitator experience of virtual Balint groups compared with in-person
title_full_unstemmed Balint in the time of COVID-19: participant and facilitator experience of virtual Balint groups compared with in-person
title_short Balint in the time of COVID-19: participant and facilitator experience of virtual Balint groups compared with in-person
title_sort balint in the time of covid-19: participant and facilitator experience of virtual balint groups compared with in-person
topic Education and Training
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8770516/
http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2021.432
work_keys_str_mv AT samnanisheliza balintinthetimeofcovid19participantandfacilitatorexperienceofvirtualbalintgroupscomparedwithinperson
AT awalmasud balintinthetimeofcovid19participantandfacilitatorexperienceofvirtualbalintgroupscomparedwithinperson