(117) Acceptability of a Narrative Medicine Workshop for Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellows

Introduction: Burnout rates among critical care providers are high and may be associated with poor patient outcomes. Narrative medicine (NM) workshops have been associated with decreased burnout rates among certain groups of post-graduate medical trainees. There are limited data describing the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of this intervention among critical care trainees. The current study aims to assess the acceptability of a NM workshop for pulmonary and critical care fellows.

Methods: One-hour NM workshops for pulmonary and critical care fellows were conducted over the course of the 2023-24 academic year. Following a brief introduction to the definition and principles of NM, each workshop included (1) a short reading of poetry or prose relevant to medical practice, (2) guided discussion of thematic and stylistic elements, (3) allotted time to complete a writing prompt, and (4) opportunity to share written work aloud. A questionnaire adapted from an existing theoretical framework of acceptability was administered to all participants; survey items were answered using a 5-point Likert scale. Qualitative responses were also solicited and recorded.

Results: 21 of 37 (56.8%) fellows participated in a NM session. 71% of participants were pulmonary/critical care and 29% were critical care fellows with post-graduate years ranging from 4 to 7. Overall, responses supported the acceptability of the intervention; domains associated with the most positive mean Likert scores included affective attitude (4.9, SD = 0.3), ethicality (4.9, SD = 0.3), and opportunity cost (4.9, SD = 0.4). General acceptability was high with an average response of 4.9 (SD = 0.3) and a majority of participants answered that they were either likely or very likely to participate in another similar workshop.

Conclusions: Responses from the pulmonary and critical care trainees in this cohort suggest that NM workshops are an acceptable intervention. Further studies are needed to demonstrate the ideal construction and timing of these workshops as well as the efficacy of such interventions at limiting burnout and promoting resilience.