The well-being and personal wellness promotion strategies of medical oncologists in the North Central Cancer Treatment Group

Purpose: The well-being of oncologists is important to the well-being of their patients. While much is known about oncologist distress, little is known about oncologist well-being. We set out to evaluate oncologist wellbeing and the personal wellness promotion strategies used by oncologists. Patients and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey of medical oncologists in the North Central Cancer Treatment Group using a validated instrument to measure quality of life. Study-specific questions explored stressors, wellness promotion strategies and career satisfaction. Results: Of 241 responding oncologists ( response rate 61%), 121 (50%) reported high overall well-being. Being age 50 or younger ( 57 vs. 41%; p = 0.01), male ( 53 vs. 31%; p = 0.01) and working 60 h or less per week ( 50 vs. 33%; p = 0.005) were associated with increased overall well-being on bivariate analysis. Ratings of the importance of a number of personal wellness promotion strategies differed for oncologists with high well-being compared with those without high well-being. Developing an approach/philosophy to dealing with death and end-of-life care, using recreation/ hobbies/exercise, taking a positive outlook and incorporating a philosophy of balance between personal and professional life were all rated as substantially more important wellness strategies by oncologists with high well-being ( p values < 0.001). Oncologists with high overall well-being also reported greater career satisfaction. Conclusion: Half of medical oncologists experience high overall well-being. Use of specific personal wellness promotion strategies appears to be associated with oncologist well-being. Further investigations of the prevalence, promotion, causes, inequities and clinical impact of physician well-being are needed. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.