The kindness COVID-19 toolkit: a mixed-methods evaluation of a programme designed by doctors in training for doctors in training

OBJECTIVES: The impact of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-specific professional development programme on the well-being of obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) doctors in training (DiT) working during the pandemic. DESIGN: A mixed-method evaluation of a single group pre–post test design study. SETTING: Melbourne, Australia between September 2020 and April 2021. PARTICIPANTS: 55 O&G DiT working across four healthcare sites of a major tertiary hospital in Victoria, Australia, were included in the programme. INTERVENTIONS: The delivery of a codesigned peer-to-peer programme, which identified and addressed the well-being goals of O&G DiT. Seven interactive workshops were run alongside the implementation of a number of participant-led wellness initiatives. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Repeated-measures analysis of WHO Well-being Index (WHO-5) and Copenhagen Burnout Innovatory (CBI) scores across three time points during the programme. Multilevel generalised linear mixed-effects models with random intercept were fit to the data, both in the entire population (intention-to-treat) and restricted to those who attended the workshop (‘per-protocol’ analysis). Participatory experiences and programme learning were captured using the Most Significant Change (MSC) technique, which included inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: We demonstrated an overall 31.9% improvement in well-being scores (p=0.006). The MSC evaluation captured a shift in workplace culture as a result of the programme, with improvement across the domains of connection, caring, communication, confidence and cooperation. CONCLUSIONS: We have successfully used a mixed-method approach to contextualise a productive programme to improve the well-being of COVID-19 front-line healthcare workers.