Race to the Summit: Impact of a Social Media-based Exercise Competition on Radiation Oncology Physician Physical, Psychological, and Emotional Well-being
Faculty and Abstracts
Purpose: With increasing non-clinical demands on physician time and effort, the health care community is experiencing disproportionate rates of burnout. Oncologists, specifically, often endure challenging situations of caring for terminally ill patients who require emotional support along with intricate medical care. In response, various well-being initiatives for physicians have emerged, predominantly focusing on education or wellness opportunities. However, most these programs are institution-based and not accessible to the physician community as a whole. The effect of physical exercise, particularly team-based activity, on physician well-being and burnout has been postulated but not rigorously studied. We therefore seek to formally investigate whether a team-based exercise competition can facilitate collective well-being by enabling physicians to address burnout collectively rather than individually.
Methodology: This prospective study involved the two-month voluntary team-based multi-sport competition, ACRO Race to the Summit, which tracked total exercise minutes logged across various forms of physical activities from January 1, 2023 to February 28, 2023. A pre/post survey design was used to investigate the potential impact of such collective physical activity on radiation oncology physician well-being. Included in both surveys, a set of 25 multiple-choice questions modeled from the validated Stanford Medicine well-being survey and the IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) focused on physical activity level and psychological and emotional well-being in the workplace. Primary endpoints assessed change in pre- and post-survey metrics related to level of physical activity, and psychological and emotional well-being at work. Secondary endpoints examined perceived value of team-based exercise in cultivating well-being.
Results: A total of 70 radiation oncology physicians participated, logging a collective 2,870 hours of exercise minutes during the eight-week race. Participants were divided between two teams - team resident and team attending. Basic characteristics of participants who completed the study showed the following: 55% male, 64% age 30-39, and 67% white ethnicity, and spanned across all US time zones. When comparing physical activity minutes pre and post competition, there was a significant difference seen in participants exercising > 60 min daily (7%, 28%) p-value .037. In addition, after the competition was completed, physicians spent less time sitting during a weekday decreasing from 38% sitting 8+ hours a day to 8% after, p value .005. Radiation oncologists also reported they felt more motivated by their peers following this competition, p value .038.
Conclusions: The results from this survey confirm the role of collective, inclusive exercise as a tool to combat physician burnout. Moreover, the study provides insight into existing trends in physical activity, and psychological and emotional well-being in the radiation oncology community. Formation of and investment in non-institution, non-work-related teams proves to be a unique means of addressing burnout by strengthening a sense of community within the field as a whole.
