Supportive environments to promote resident well-being are critical to ensure that physicians can deliver safe and high quality patient care. Learners face a significant emotional toll when faced with adverse events during training. Peer support programs within hospital systems have been shown to be effective means of mitigating the negative effects experienced. In addition, data demonstrates that healthcare providers may prefer and are more likely to speak to a colleague initially when an adverse event occurs. Further, peer support programs have the potential to develop active listening skills in participants and promote relationships within a program as a means to foster psychological safety and supportive environments. Little guidance exists on how to develop a peer support program for resident physicians.
Employing an instructional design process, this webinar will guide participants on the steps necessary to develop and implement a peer support program based on the presenters’ experience. The session will begin with a mini-didactic describing existing models of peer support. Next, the presenters will review steps utilized to develop their peer support program. Afterwards, using a hypothetical program, participants will engage in a large group debrief to discuss how they would approach developing a peer support program and address potential barriers. The workshop will conclude with a strategic brainshare on how to best implement a peer support program at one’s home institution based on the ideas discussed.
Presenters: Sandhya Wahi-Gururaj, Miriam Bar-On, Aditi Singh