Educational interventions to combat burnout: Are General Practitioners interested? A Qualitative Study

Background Rising burnout in General Practitioners has been noted as a major issue worldwide that is contributing to many leaving the profession earlier than anticipated or reducing their hours of clinical work. Educational interventions as part of continuing professional development (CPD) have been shown to be effective in reducing burnout and improving overall wellbeing amongst GPs. There is no published evidence available describing attitudes of GPs toward such CPD-based burnout interventions. The objective of this study is to assess GPs perspectives and opinions towards educational CPD-based interventions aimed at improving burnout in the GP population. Methods A qualitative research approach using grounded theory methods was used. Participants were interviewed 1 to 1 via video call. Video files of the interviews were recorded and auto-transcription software used to generate a text file which was checked for accuracy of transcription. Transcripts underwent grounded thematic analysis with emergent themes synthesised and combined to develop a targeted analysis concordant with the objectives of the study. The study received ethical approval from the Swansea University Medicine, Health and Life Science Ethics Approval Board. Results 5 participants were interviewed. All were GPs listed on the GMC GP register and currently engaged in the Wales GP appraisal process. Two participants had prior experience of CPD resources focused on burnout. Participants universally noted positive sentiment towards an educational-based CPD intervention focused at reducing burnout and noted their preferences in how such an intervention might be designed. Several important perceived barriers were highlighted that would need to be considered in the design of any future interventions. Discussion Attitudes of participants suggest an educational-based CPD intervention would be well received, and further research is needed to assess the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of such an intervention in this population.