Paving the Path to Wellness: A Systematic Review of Wellness Programs for Neurosurgery Trainees

Background: Neurosurgical trainees have a heavy workload and poor quality of life, resulting in high rates of burnout and attrition. Consequently, wellness programs have been used by various training institutions to combat this situation.

Objective: We aimed to identify and describe wellness programs available for neurosurgical trainees in their training institutions, the outcome measures used to assess them, and their efficacy.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature was made following PRISMA guidelines.

Results: Six studies were included in the review, describing wellness programs from 9 institutions. All programs except 1 used exercise as the core component. The other components included physical and mental well-being lectures, team-building activities, and cultural excursions. Most institutions used piloted satisfaction and perception questionnaires to assess efficacy. Trainee perceptions of wellness programs were generally positive, but the responses on validated questionnaires and surveys were mixed. Barriers to the program included lack of institutional support, time constraints, fatigue, and feelings of guilt in prioritizing wellness over patient care.

Conclusions: There is a paucity of literature regarding trainee wellness in neurosurgery. A few training programs have instituted wellness initiatives for trainees, and the feedback was generally positive. However, objective measures of efficacy such as validated questionnaires and scales yielded mixed results.