Introduction: The well-being of doctors is crucial for both the individuals and their patients; however, doctors experience higher rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout compared to the general population. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified these issues, particularly among junior doctors. A key step in addressing these challenges is to assess evidence-based well-being interventions implemented during and after the pandemic. Question: In junior doctors, which well-being interventions were implemented and were effective during and after the COVID-19 pandemic? Methods: This systematic review was reported following PRISMA guidelines using Cochrane risk-of-bias tools and the GRADE framework. Eligibility criteria: Peer-reviewed studies in English reporting on primary data and assessing interventions implemented after January 1, 2020, were included. Exclusions were letters, editorials, commentaries, conference abstracts, and studies that did not isolate junior doctor data. Information sources: Databases searched included Embase, PubMed, Ovid, and Scopus on October 25, 2023. Results: Included studies: Twenty-six studies with 7751 participants were included, predominantly from the USA or UK, with a mean age range of 24.2 - 30.0 years. Twenty-four studies were of very-low or low-quality evidence. The three primary categories of implemented interventions were workplace improvements, increasing personal resources, and problem-resolution-focused. Synthesis of Results: Significance was found in four studies, with p ≤ 0.05 and a quality of evidence higher than a very-low GRADE rating. These results demonstrated a reduction in burnout from an online group coaching intervention and a preparatory course, as well as a reduction in anxiety from a novel transitional role, and after the use of a smartphone application. Conclusion: Limitations of evidence: Inconsistency in language, lack of definitions, and poor study designs, including limited co-design, hindered drawing meaningful conclusions. The impact of COVID-19 was noted with the modification of interventions and study designs. Interpretation: Evidence-based interventions to address junior doctor wellbeing from high-quality studies are urgently required.
Jurat et al. (Sun,) studied this question.