Factors Associated With Healthcare Clinician Stress and Resilience: A Scoping Review

Timothy J. Usset, Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and VA Maine Health Care System, Augusta, Maine.
R Greg Stratton, Ascension On Demand Spiritual Care, St. Louis, Missouri.
Sarah Knapp, Ascension St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Gabrielle Schwartzman, The School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Sunil K. Yadav, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois.
Benjamin J. Schaefer, Ascension, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
J Irene Harris, VA Maine Health Care System, Augusta, Maine, and Department of Psychology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine.

Abstract

GOAL: Clinician stress and resilience have been the subjects of significant research and interest in the past several decades. We aimed to understand the factors that contribute to clinician stress and resilience in order to appropriately guide potential interventions. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review (n = 42) of published reviews of research on clinician distress and resilience using the methodology of Peters and colleagues (2020). Our team examined these reviews using the National Academy of Medicine's framework for clinician well-being and resilience. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We found that organizational factors, learning/practice environment, and healthcare responsibilities were three of the top four factors identified in the reviews as contributing to clinician distress. Learning/practice environment and organizational factors were two of the top four factors identified in the reviews as contributing to their resilience. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Clinicians continue to face numerous external challenges that complicate their work. Further research, practice, and policy changes are indicated to improve practice environments for healthcare clinicians. Healthcare leaders need to promote resources for organizational and system-level changes to improve clinician well-being.