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A Comprehensive Wellness Program (SKY) to Mitigate Physician Burnout

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Anxiety
Optimism
Interpersonal Disengagement
Self-reported Medical Errors
Work Exhaustion
Physician Burnout
Depression
Stress
Insomnia
Professional Fulfillment
Interventions
Behavioral: Stress management education
Registration Number
NCT05956470
Lead Sponsor
Oslo University Hospital
Brief Summary

The primary objective of the study was to determine whether the yoga-based breathing and meditation program SKY could improve wellness indicators in currently practicing physicians. The hypothesis of this study is that SKY is effective in reducing anxiety and depression, increasing subjective optimism, and reducing physician burnout in healthy, actively practicing physicians.

Detailed Description

Physicians are exposed to high stress and strain that results in burnout, affecting not only them, their families, patients, but the whole healthcare system. Thus there is an urgent need to develop methods to increase resiliency of physicians. A comprehensive yoga breathing and meditation-based online program (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga, or SKY) is a potential approach to mitigate physician burnout. This is a randomized clinical trial assessing the potential efficacy of SKY compared to a stress management education (SME) training as control, conducted online. Both groups received training for three consecutive days, 1,5 hours per day, through group video conference. Active physicians participated in the study from November 2021 to March 2022. Of the 280 physicians who showed interest and prescreened, 238 were eligible and randomized to receive either the SKY or the control intervention.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
128
Inclusion Criteria
  • Actively working physicians without any chronic disease with documented interest in being part of a study to evaluate breath/meditation-derived exercises and a willingness to do some form of relaxation exercises every day for 8 weeks.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Presence of psychiatric illness or other major illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, uncontrolled hypertension, lung disease, liver disease, cancer, or heart disease; maintaining a regular mind-body program practice such as meditation, yoga, and breathing techniques.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Control groupStress management educationGroup discussion-based viewing of online educational videos that demonstrate ways to mitigate psychological distress, including the use of cognitive coping techniques. 3x1,5 hours. It includes weekly online meetings with group discussions, experience sharing, and watching brief videos on the key elements of the program for 8 weeks.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change from Baseline Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale immediately after the intervention and at 8 weeksAt baseline, right after the 3-day intervention, and at 8 weeks post-intervention

Scores assessed by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 42 (DASS-42).

Change from baseline in Professional Satisfaction index post-intervention and at 8 weeksAt baseline, right after the 3-day intervention, and at 8 weeks post-intervention

Scores assessed by the Professional Satisfaction Index (PFI).

Change from baseline in Insomnia post-intervention and at 8 weeksAt baseline, right after the 3-day intervention, and at 8 weeks post-intervention

Insomnia scores assesed by the Regensburg Insomnia Scale (RIS).

Change from baseline in optimism post-intervention and at 8 weeksAt baseline, right after the 3-day intervention, and at 8 weeks post-intervention

Optimism scores assessed by the Life Orientation Test (Revised) (LOT-R) and the

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center

🇹🇷

Izmir, Balcova, Turkey

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