Abstract

Stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue is experienced by those working in obstetrics and gynaecology. We investigated whether an intervention which increases support for staff is feasible to implement and effective. All doctors-in-training (DITs) (N?=?28) and midwives (N?=?69) working in the delivery suite in a tertiary university teaching maternity hospital were invited to participate. Wellbeing was assessed using questionnaires which were distributed pre-intervention and 6 months after implementation of the interventions which consisted of posters promoting self-care, team bonding sessions, and end of shift meetings. Eighteen (64%) DITs and 22 (31%) midwives returned pre-intervention questionnaires. Thirteen (18%) midwives returned post-intervention questionnaires, of which five (7%) returned both the pre-intervention questionnaire and the post-intervention questionnaire. DITs and midwives were experiencing high levels of burnout and compassion fatigue: 87% were experiencing emotional exhaustion pre-intervention. There was a statistically significant decrease in the Professional Quality of Life burnout score from pre-intervention to post-intervention. End of shift meetings were discontinued after five weeks due to low attendance; while providing opportunity for support and debriefing, the timing of these sessions impaired their long-term feasibility. These interventions may positively impact on wellbeing, but in current format, they are not feasible for long-term implementation.