Burnout in the emergency department: Randomized controlled trial of an attention-based training program

Pádraic J Dunne; Julie Lynch; Lucia Prihodova; Caoimhe O'Leary; Atiyeh Ghoreyshi; Sharee A Basdeo; Donal J Cox; Rachel Breen; Ali Sheikhi; Áine Carroll; Cathal Walsh; Geraldine McMahon; Barry White

doi:10.1016/j.joim.2019.03.009

Burnout in the emergency department: Randomized controlled trial of an attention-based training program

J Integr Med. 2019 May;17(3):173-180. doi: 10.1016/j.joim.2019.03.009. Epub 2019 Mar 29.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, Trinity College, Dublin D08 W9RT, Ireland. Electronic address: padraicdunne@rcsi.com.
² Research Department, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Dublin D02 E434, Ireland.
³ Department of Innovation, Fitbit Inc., San Francisco, CA 94105, USA.
⁴ Health Research Institute, Main Building, University of Limerick, Limerick V94 X5K6, Ireland.
⁵ Health Service Executive, Dr Steevens' Hospital, Dublin D08 W2A8, Ireland.
⁶ Department of Emergency Medicine, St. James's Hospital, Dublin D08 W9RT, Ireland.
⁷ National Centre for Hereditary Coagulation Disorders, St. James's Hospital, Dublin D08 W9RT, Ireland.

PMID: 30956141
DOI: 10.1016/j.joim.2019.03.009

Abstract

Background: Burnout (encompassing emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment) in healthcare professionals is a major issue worldwide. Emergency medicine physicians are particularly affected, potentially impacting on quality of care and attrition from the specialty.

Objective: The aim of this study was to apply an attention-based training (ABT) program to reduce burnout among emergency multidisciplinary team (MDT) members from a large urban hospital.

Design, setting, participants and interventions: Emergency MDT members were randomized to either a no-treatment control or an intervention group. Intervention group participants engaged in a four session (4 h/session) ABT program over 7 weeks with a practice target of 20 min twice-daily. Practice adherence was measured using a smart phone application together with a wearable Charge 2 device.

Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was a change in burnout, comprising emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal achievement. The secondary outcomes were changes in other psychological and biometric parameters.

Results: The ABT program resulted in a significant reduction (P < 0.05; T1 [one week before intervention] vs T3 [follow-up at two months after intervention]) in burnout, specifically, emotional exhaustion, with an effect size (probability of superiority) of 59%. Similar reductions were observed for stress (P < 0.05) and anxiety (P < 0.05). Furthermore, ABT group participants demonstrated significant improvements in heart rate variability, resting heart rate, sleep as well as an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine expression.

Conclusion: This study describes a positive impact of ABT on emergency department staff burnout compared to a no-treatment control group.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02887300.

Keywords: Burnout; Cortisol; Cytokines; Emotional exhaustion; Healthcare professional; Meditation; Randomized controlled trial; Sleep; Stress.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Adult
Attention
Burnout, Professional / psychology*
Emergency Service, Hospital / statistics & numerical data
Emotions
Female
Humans
Hydrocortisone / analysis
Male
Middle Aged
Physicians / psychology*
Saliva / chemistry
Teaching
Young Adult

Substances

Hydrocortisone

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT02887300