Resilience and surgeons: train the individual or change the system? (6 September 2020)

Summary

Recent years have seen a surge in interest in the study of resilience in medical professionals. Concern has been expressed about the psychological wellbeing of doctors in general and of surgeons specifically, with increasing individual doctors’ resilience being suggested as a possible solution.1 However, there are potential risks as well as benefits to this focus on individual resilience. This article from Bolderston et al. explores both sides of the resilience coin, and considers potentially helpful ways of addressing psychological wellbeing and resilience in surgeons, including the development of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based intervention.