Research ArticleOriginal ResearchA

Balint Groups as a Means to Increase Job Satisfaction and Prevent Burnout Among General Practitioners

Dorte Kjeldmand and Inger Holmström
The Annals of Family Medicine March 2008, 6 (2) 138-145; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.813

Annals Journal Club Selection:

Mar/Apr 2008

The Annals Journal Club is designed to encourage a learning community of those seeking to improve health care and health through enhanced primary care. Additional information is available on the Journal Club home page.

The Annals of Family Medicine encourages readers to develop the learning community of those seeking to improve health care and health through enhanced primary care. You can participate by conducting a RADICAL journal club, and sharing the results of your discussions in the Annals online discussion for the featured articles. RADICAL is an acronym for: Read, Ask, Discuss, Inquire, Collaborate, Act, and Learn. The word radical also indicates the need to engage diverse participants in thinking critically about important issues affecting primary care, and then acting on those discussions.1

Article for Discussion

  • Kjeldmand D, Holmström I. Balint groups as a means to increase job satisfaction and prevent burnout among general practitioners. Ann Fam Med. 2008;6(2):138-145.

Discussion Tips

Balint groups are commonly used in family medicine training programs but actually had their roots in general practice.2,3 It may be worthwhile to consider how this study of long-term practicing generalist physicians might affect your current opportunity to develop or participate in a Balint group. Balint Societies exist in more than 20 countries.4,5

Discussion Questions

  • What questions are addressed by the article? Why do they matter?
  • How well does the study design fit the research questions?
  • What are the main findings?
  • To what degree can the findings be accounted for by:
  • How participants were selected?
  • How information was gathered?
  • Confounding (false attribution of causality because two factors thought to be associated actually are associated with a third factor)?
  • How well are data sources and analysis triangulated; that is, how well are multiple sources of information and viewpoints used to generate trustworthiness?
  • How transportable are the findings to your practice setting? How might they be adapted?
  • What are the implications of the findings for training, development, and preventing burnout?
  • What questions do you have for further research or application?

    • Reference

    1. Stange KC, Miller WL, McLellan LA, et al. Annals journal club: It�s time to get RADICAL. Ann Fam Med. 2006;4:196-197. Available at: http://annfammed.org/cgi/content/full/4/3/196.
    2. Lakasing E. Michael Balint–an outstanding medical life. Br J Gen Pract. 2005;55(518):724-725. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1464079.
    3. Balint, Michael. The Doctor, His Patient, and the Illness. New York, NY: International Universities Press; 1957.
    4. The Balint Society. http://www.balint.co.uk/. Accessed Jan 27, 2008.
    5. The American Balint Society. http://americanbalintsociety.org/. Accessed Jan 27, 2008.

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