TY - JOUR
T1 - Burnout in the emergency department
T2 - Randomized controlled trial of an attention-based training program
AU - Dunne, Pádraic J.
AU - Lynch, Julie
AU - Prihodova, Lucia
AU - O'Leary, Caoimhe
AU - Ghoreyshi, Atiyeh
AU - Basdeo, Sharee A.
AU - Cox, Donal J.
AU - Breen, Rachel
AU - Sheikhi, Ali
AU - Carroll, Áine
AU - Walsh, Cathal
AU - McMahon, Geraldine
AU - White, Barry
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Shanghai Changhai Hospital
PY - 2019/5
Y1 - 2019/5
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Burnout
KW - Cortisol
KW - Cytokines
KW - Emotional exhaustion
KW - Healthcare professional
KW - Meditation
KW - Randomized controlled trial
KW - Sleep
KW - Stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85072269648&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.joim.2019.03.009
DO - 10.1016/j.joim.2019.03.009
M3 - Article
C2 - 30956141
AN - SCOPUS:85072269648
SN - 2095-4964
VL - 17
SP - 173
EP - 180
JO - Journal of Integrative Medicine
JF - Journal of Integrative Medicine
IS - 3
ER -