Medical Students’ Perceptions on Identifying and Addressing Emotional Responses in Emergency Medicine: Pilot Investigation

Abstract

Background Training in acute care, such as emergency medicine (EM), where exposure to critically ill and injured patients is high, impacts the well-being of trainees and contributes to burnout. Investigating how, and if, trainees prepare for these situations is necessary to ensure they are supported. Objective This study aimed to evaluate medical students’ perspectives and emotional preparedness for handling acute care and trauma. Methods We conducted a pilot investigation using a remote digital survey of medical students during their EM clerkship at a large, urban academic institution. The primary outcome of interest was student-reported preparedness and comfort in handling trauma and critical care patient encounters. Secondary outcomes included awareness of well-being resources and comfort in accessing digital well-being resources. Results A total of 57 medical students completed the voluntary digital survey, and half of the students (n=28, 49%) reported having witnessed the care of a critically ill or a penetrating trauma patient (eg, a victim of gun violence). A majority (n=40, 70%) had thought about how these events may impact them, and over half felt unprepared to identify the emotional impact these cases may have on them (n=31, 54%) or address the emotional or mental health impact (n=36, 63%). Less than a quarter (n=14, 25%) were aware of digital mental health resources, and 58% (n=33) did not feel fully comfortable connecting with resources if needed. Students who had previously witnessed critical care were significantly more likely to report feeling well prepared in identifying the emotional impact and addressing this impact. Conclusions In this cross-sectional survey, students did not feel fully prepared to identify or address the emotional impact of working in EM. Additionally, they lacked awareness of or comfort with accessing digital institutional resources meant to support their well-being, such as a large web-based platform. These findings can help inform and guide interventions by educational and academic leaders. The aim would be to create and promote environments that empower students with tools to identify their own emotions and connect to well-being resources.