PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - George Greenlees
AU  - Laura Archer
TI  - Guilt, shame and negative emotion in undergraduate medical education: is there a role for Balint groups?
AID  - 10.1136/medhum-2020-012124
DP  - 2022 Dec 01
TA  - Medical Humanities
PG  - 449--450
VI  - 48
IP  - 4
4099  - http://mh.bmj.com/content/48/4/449.short
4100  - http://mh.bmj.com/content/48/4/449.full
SO  - J Med Humanit2022 Dec 01; 48
AB  - Balint groups are a structured discussion which explores non-clinical aspects of the doctor–patient relationship. In this commentary piece we describe our experience of a Balint group for final-year medical students in a large regional hospital. We discuss that our participants reported a significant burden of negative emotion, primarily guilt and shame, in attempting to navigate the hospital environment as learners. We note how our participants perceived they would acquire the ability to manage these negative emotions simply by becoming doctors, despite being only a few months from qualification. A cultural shift in undergraduate training, combined with a challenging period for the medical profession in general, may leave new doctors isolated in the face of the emotional strain of medicine. We therefore encourage educators to consider using Balint groups as an adjunct to more traditional clinical training.