Developing a 'buddy scheme' for foundation doctors

Background: Changes in working practices have resulted in disruption of the traditional team structure and work patterns. The need for support for juniors during the transition from medical school led to a buddying programme for foundation trainees at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital (RBH). Methods: In phase 1, a programme was evaluated using a questionnaire consisting of 12 questions, some of which took the format of a five-point Likert scale. Areas for improvement were identified and implemented in phase 2. Outcomes were re-evaluated using the same questionnaire format. Results: Compared with phase 1, more foundation year-1 doctors (FY1s) felt that they benefited from an FY2 buddy (68 versus 17%; p = 0.0025), and that the buddy had helped to smooth the transition from student to doctor (39 versus 17%; p = 0.20), in phase 2. First contact was initiated by the FY2 (90 versus 43%, p = 0.02), and occurred as a face-to- face meeting (68 versus 29%, p = 0.09). FY1s felt that buddies were more accessible (89 versus 24%, p = 0.0001), developed a better rapport (84 versus 31%, p = 0.002) and felt more likely to get involved in buddying in the future (55 versus 22%, p = 0.05). Discussion: Our buddy scheme improved on previous models, and was effective and well received. The committee responsible for organising and overseeing the scheme is thought to have contributed to this improvement. In order for any such scheme to be successful it is important to constantly evaluate and adapt the scheme.