The Beauty of Balint Groups in General Practice

Doctors Lisa and Sara are joined by GP and Medical Educator Dr Alan Ng, working in Canada. We discuss what Balint groups are, starting from who Balint was. We go through the structure of a Balint session and why they exist in the form they do. We discuss the advantages to both Doctors and their patients of discussing cases within a Balint group and being part of a group. Discussions can help us gain a deeper understanding of the doctor-patient relationship and discover more about the dynamics and causes of our stresses in particular cases. 

 

You can use these podcasts as part of your CPD - we don’t do certificates but they still count :)

 

Useful resources: 

• UK Balint Society: https://balintsociety.org.uk/

• American Balint Society: www.americanbalintsociety.org

• International Balint Federation: www.balintinternational.com

• Balint, Michael. The Doctor, His Patient and the Illness. Churchill Livingstone  1957, 1963, 2000: https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/doctor-his-patient-and-the-illness-book-michael-balint-9780272792063

• Salinsky, John and Sackin, Paul.  What Are You Feeling Doctor? Radcliffe 2000: https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/what-are-you-feeling-doctor-book-john-salinsky-9781857754070

• Joanne Reeve and the idea of ‘Knowledge Work’: https://bjgplife.com/reclaiming-general-practice-tackling-our-workforce-crisis-with-wisegp/

• Stojanovic-Tasic M, Latas M, Milosevic N, Aritonovic Pribakovic J, Ljusic D, Sapic R, Vucurevic M, Trajkovic G, Grgurevic A. Is Balint training associated with the reduced burnout among primary health care doctors? Libyan J Med. 2018 Dec;13(1):1440123: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29493438/

• Van Roy K, Vanheule S, Inslegers R. Research on Balint groups: A literature review. Patient Educ Couns. 2015 Jun;98(6):685-94: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25681874/

• Player M, Freedy JR, Diaz V, Brock C, Chessman A, Thiedke C, Johnson A. The role of Balint group training in the professional and personal development of family medicine residents. Int J Psychiatry Med. 2018 Jan-Mar;53(1-2):24-38. doi: 10.1177/0091217417745289. Epub 2017 Dec 13: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29235909/

• Kjeldmand D, Holmström I. Balint groups as a means to increase job satisfaction and prevent burnout among general practitioners. Ann Fam Med. 2008 Mar-Apr;6(2):138-45. doi: 10.1370/afm.813: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18332406/

• Mathers and Rowland (1997). General practice-a post-modern speciality? British Journal of General Practice, 47, 177-179: https://bjgp.org/content/47/416/177

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This podcast has been made with the support of GP Excellence and Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. Given that it is recorded with Greater Manchester clinicians, the information discussed may not be applicable elsewhere and it is important to consult local guidelines before making any treatment decisions. 

The information presented is the personal opinion of the healthcare professional interviewed and might not be representative to all clinicians. It is based on their interpretation of current best practice and guidelines when the episode was recorded. Guidelines can change; To the best of our knowledge the information in this episode is up to date as of it’s release but it is the listeners responsibility to review the information and make sure it is still up to date when they listen.

Dr Lisa Adams, Dr Sara MacDermott and their interviewees are not liable for any advice, investigations, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or products listeners might pursue as a result of listening to this podcast - it is the clinicians responsibility to appraise the information given and review local and national guidelines before making treatment decisions. Reliance on information provided in this podcast is solely at the listeners risk.

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