We are committed to developing courses that are meaningful and truly useful. That’s why we carefully measure their impact on our participants by having them fill out a questionnaire at the end of each course, then three months later, and six months later for those who have completed both levels. After more than 100 hours of training and more than 100 physicians trained, the results are particularly gratifying. Here is a summary of the results.
An ongoing difficult professional situation
The situation of General Practitioners (GPs) in Italy remains very difficult, marked by several critical aspects: a significant shortage of professionals, difficult working conditions and insufficient reforms1Sources: reports and articles on Osservatoriocpi.unicatt.it, Agenas.gov.it and Obiettivolavoro.it.
Since 2010, Italy has been suffering from a medical desertification caused by a large number of retirements and insufficient renewal of the medical workforce. Between 2022 and 2028, an estimated 10,800 GPs will leave the profession without being replaced, which could leave 15 million Italians without a GP. This situation is the result not only of demographic collapse, but also of poor planning of medical care, combined with a restrictive numerus clausus and insufficient scholarships for general medicine studies.
General practitioners can manage up to 1,500 patients each, which corresponds to an average of 40 consultations a day.
General practitioners, who play a key role in prevention and primary care, can manage up to 1,500 patients each, which corresponds to an average of 40 consultations a day. What’s more, their salaries (an average of €52,000 gross per year2A GP’s income depends on a number of factors: bonuses, allowances, seniority and number of patients. According to a recent study published by the Ministry of the Economy and Finance (MEF), the average gross annual salary of a GP in Italy is between €49,000 and €85,000.) remain insufficient, as they have to cover their own professional expenses (rent, equipment, staff, etc.), which drastically reduces their net income. The situation is aggravated by overwork and the lack of sick leave or substitutes.
To modernize the system, reforms aim to strengthen local care through the creation of Health Centres and a digital transformation, including telemedicine and networked tools. However, these projects sometimes lack coherence and struggle to meet the specific needs of different regions. In addition, salary increases, tax exemptions, and specific allowances for public health workers are being discussed, but their implementation remains uncertain.
Balance these growing pressures with the human approach that is essential to their role.
These conditions affect not only the psychological state of physicians, but also their relationships with patients. Work overload limits the time available for each consultation, making it difficult to get to the root of individual problems. What’s more, with the rise of digital tools and easy access to medical information that is not always reliable, patients are increasingly demanding quick and questionable solutions. GPs must therefore try to balance these growing pressures with the human approach that is essential to their role.
Mental Skills: The Great Absentee in Training and Education
The teaching of mental skills is still largely neglected in education and training programmes. These skills, which refer to the knowledge and tools needed to better understand and manage the mind, include focused attention, subjective well-being, emotional balance, cognitive resilience, and prosocial skills.
The specific behaviours and attitudes that result from this are now more than essential for living and working more serenely and effectively.
We see an urgent need to integrate the acquisition of these skills on a large scale into initial and continuing training programmes.
Given the many challenges physicians face and their current state of exhaustion and discouragement, the value and effectiveness of such training is undeniable. This is even more true when we consider the excellent results we have achieved over the past 18 months. We therefore see an urgent need to integrate the acquisition of these skills on a large scale into the education programmes of medical students and the continuing training of healthcare professionals.
A tailor-made programme
In this context, the Tuscan Health Service (SST) asked us to develop training programmes for general practitioners. We designed two training programmes:
- A Level 1, entitled “Burnout prevention: focus on mindfulness and stress management”, and
- A Level 2, entitled “Mindfulness: Emotions in Relationships, Effective Communication and Conflict Management”.
These 18-hour training programmes are divided into six three-hour sessions.
Between May 2023 and October 2024, we delivered five editions of Level 1 and one edition of Level 2, for a total of 108 hours of training to 102 physicians.
To be truly effective in the long term, this type of training requires regular support. That is why we designed a support programme that will start in 2025.
Extremely satisfying results!
By the end of 2024, we had a 100% satisfaction rate and a 100% recommendation rate for the 6 training editions.
The results and testimonials we receive from physicians speak for themselves and validate the way we develop and deliver our content. We strive to provide a wide range of pedagogical tools to meet the diverse experiences, expectations, and individual needs of our participants.
We are truly impressed by the attitude of the physicians we train. Despite their initial scepticism about new and unfamiliar topics in their professional lives, they all seriously engage in the training and seize the opportunity to confront themselves with new mental experiences, which further strengthens their resolve to acquire these new skills.
Here is a summary of the statistics from our six training editions, along with some physician testimonials from the last edition:
Document: link
Our heartfelt thanks go to the Tuscany Health Service for the trust they have placed in us and to all the doctors who follow us with such enthusiasm.
We wish you all a happy end of the year,
Laurent & Valentina
Modified image. Original image credit: Phillip Dvorak
