Reducing Work-related Screen Time in Health Care Workers During Leisure Time

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Stress; Burnout, Caregiver
• Interventions: Behavioral: Reduce screen time

• Registration Number: NCT05106647
• Lead Sponsor: University of Nebraska

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect that uninstalling work email applications from mobile devices during leisure time has on health care worker stress levels.

Detailed Description

Burnout is more common in physicians than in the general population. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has increased burnout and stress levels among health care workers, leading to a peak of 34% of health care workers experiencing burnout symptoms. But even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of burnout symptoms among health care workers was trending upwards. In fact, most health care workers experience burnout to some degree.

Managing email inboxes and working with electronic health records (EHR) can increase screen time levels for health care workers who use them. High amounts of screen time have been linked to depression and stress in teenagers and adults. EHR digital work is a noted burden on physicians, and inbox management has been linked to physician stress and burnout. A study that measured physician stress during electronic health record inbox work found that accessing and responding to EHR inbox outside of work hours increased stress levels in physicians.

The effect of an intervention that lowers screen time usage in health care workers during leisure time has not been measured. Determining this effect can influence new protocols on inbox and work email management during leisure time for health care workers. This can benefit organizations by improving employee performance, employees by reducing stress and burnout levels, and patients by providing more refreshed patient care. This study aims to determine the effect that uninstalling email from mobile devices during leisure time has on health care worker stress levels.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2021-10-12
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-11-03
• Study First Posted: 2021-11-04
• Study Start: 2021-11-09
• Primary Completion: 2023-11-05
• Study Completion: 2023-11-05
• Status Verified: 2024-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-03-18
• Last Update Posted: 2024-03-20

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 520

Inclusion Criteria

• 1. be an active health care worker
• 2. be ≥ 19 years old
• 3. routinely use a smartphone
• 4. have a work email application (e.g., Outlook) installed on their smartphone.

Exclusion Criteria

• None

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Reduce screen time	Reduce screen time	Participants randomized to the intervention group are encouraged to set up an automated response to emails received during their weekend off, reduce their screen time for duration of leisure time, and uninstall work applications from their mobile device. Surveys are sent prior to and after leisure time.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline modified Perceived Stress Scale-10 after leisure time	Change in scale measured at baseline and after leisure time (through study completion, an average of 1 week)	Individual scores on the Perceived Stress Scale can range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Screen time	At the end of leisure time (through study completion, an average of 1 week)	Screen time in hours

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Nebraska Medical Center; 🇺🇸 Omaha, Nebraska, United States