Coping Strategies to Prevent or Reduce Stress and Burnout Among Oncology Physicians: A Systematic Review - Schmitz 2022

This systematic review (SR) sought to identify interventions that effectively prevent or reduce oncologists' stress and burnout. Without language or time restrictions, eight electronic databases and grey literature databases were searched. Included studies involved medical oncologists and contained interventions to prevent or treat stress or burnout, as well as an evaluation of outcomes. In two phases of selection, 19 of 3,020 studies were included. In nine studies, the risk of bias was low, in six studies it was moderate, and in four studies it was high. Low and very low levels of evidence certainty were deemed to exist for the examined outcomes. The interventions that had a significant impact on stress and burnout reduction among oncologists were the sharing of experiences between female doctors in virtual groups, integrative meetings outside the workplace, and team sessions supervised by counselors. Despite the fact that interventions had variable effects on reducing or preventing burnout and stress, more research is required due to the insufficient evidence of their outcomes.

Schmitz AC, Witeck CR, Oliveira JMD, Clemons M, Paiva CE, Porporatti AL, et al. Coping strategies to prevent or reduce stress and burnout among oncology physicians: a systematic review. Braz J Oncol. 2022;18:20220320