Evaluation of a Guided Nature and Forest Therapy Walk for Internal Medical Residents - A Brief Report.

Abstract

Medical residents commonly face compassion fatigue, burnout, anxiety, and depression. Studies of nature-based interventions show improved mental and physical health; few focus on healthcare providers. To explore potential benefits of forest bathing for medical residents' wellbeing. Using the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy's framework, we piloted a forest bathing intervention among medical residents with pre/post-participation surveys assessing perceptions of mindfulness and psychological wellbeing. Responses were analyzed using a Fisher's exact test and Student's t-test for independent samples. Fourteen of fifteen participants completed both surveys. We observed significantly improved mindfulness scores and expressions of feeling calm, vital, or creative, as well as a decreased sense of anxiety and depression. Nonsignificant trends towards decreased burnout and irritability were seen. This quality improvement pilot demonstrates trends that forest bathing can improve medical residents' psychological wellbeing and mindfulness. Further exploration of this intervention for healthcare providers is warranted.