A Randomized-Controlled Trial to Reduce Clinician Burnout

University of Southern California

Summary

Burnout and job dissatisfaction among clinicians are one of the greatest challenges facing healthcare today. Clinicians report feeling less engaged in their work and are leaving their fields in large numbers which reflects increasing stress from the pandemic coupled with increased administrative and regulatory demands and a decreased sense of autonomy. To attenuate these factors the current study will enact a series of interventions that would decrease mental distress, increase self-efficacy, and attenuate inefficiencies in their work environment to achieve sustainable improvement. The investigators will offer psychological training using techniques that have been shown to impact individual's mental health that target feelings of demoralization, depression and anxiety that result from chronic stress. Additionally, the investigators will offer individualized training on optimization of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) to help clinicians from different fields and settings reduce their time and effort needed for documentation. The investigators will also engage clinicians in systemic redesign to empower clinician-directed changes to the health system environment. The investigators anticipate that each intervention will positively affect emotional wellbeing, skills mastery of the Electronic Health Record (EHR), and environmental dissatisfaction to reduce overall burnout.

Description

This study is a randomized controlled trial to reduce burnout that is frequently experienced among clinicians. Personal burnout can be defined as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion created by excessive and prolonged stress occurring when one feels overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. The need to improve clinician burnout is higher than ever before due to increased intensity and duration of chronic stress resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are significant barriers to attenuating burnout experienced by clinicians, some of whi…

Interventions

Behavioral

Emotional Wellbeing

Participants in this intervention will learn cognitive behavioral therapy tools to identify unhelpful beliefs and thought patterns, increase motivation through SMART goal making, and increase relaxation and stress management techniques through deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and pleasant activity scheduling. Additionally, participants will learn acceptance and commitment therapy tools to increase cognitive flexibility and resilience through acceptance and diffusion work, being present through contact with present moment and self as context and doing what matters through committed actions and value identification.

Behavioral

EHR Skills Optimization

Participants in this intervention will learn how to better utilize the EHR by gaining knowledge and skills in the EHR. Session topics include, but are not limited to, understanding current usage patterns and behaviors in the EHR, optimization of the table of contents for easier chart navigation, integration of specialty-focused workflows with current EHR documentation and chart review tools, and recommendations to be more efficient and reduce amount of time spent in the EHR.

Behavioral

Performance Improvement

This intervention focuses on improving participants perception of Keck Medicine as a positive workplace environment by supporting participants in gaining basic performance improvement knowledge and skills through didactic training, group discussions based on sociocultural learning theory, and hands on practice leading a performance improvement project. Sessions will review performance improvement concepts such as Lean wastes, systems thinking, change management and sustainability. Participants in this intervention will then identify a project area of focus that they want to improve and develop a project charter. Once a project area has been identified, participants will be put into breakout rooms to discuss successes and challenges as well as receive feedback on their project from peers.

Behavioral

control

Participants randomly assigned to the control condition will continue as usual care and will not complete any intervention during the duration of the study.

A Randomized-Controlled Trial to Reduce Clinician Burnout

Summary

Description

Eligibility

Interventions

Location