A Comprehensive Wellness Program (SKY) to Mitigate Physician Burnout
Study Details
Study Description
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.
Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
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N/A |
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.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
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Experimental: SKY intervention group Meditation and breath program: includes gentle stretches (office yoga' in a sitting position) and three different types of specific breathing exercises. 3x1,5 hours. Daily practice thereafter for about 30 minutes for 8 weeks. In addition, there are weekly one-hour sessions for group practice and discussion. |
Behavioral: Meditation and breathing program : Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY)
The SKY sessions (3x1,5 h on consecutive days) included online instruction in gentle stretches ('office yoga' in a sitting position), specific breathing exercises and meditation, and discussion of cognitive/behavioral coping skills. After the 3-day program, participants asked to practice the techniques once a day for about 30 min. In addition, there were weekly group exercise sessions of 1 hour where all participants were asked to join.
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Active Comparator: Control group Group 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. |
Behavioral: Stress management education
This control intervention included viewing of educational videos on stress management and group discussions, where the sessions were equal in length to the SKY intervention. There were also weekly follow-up sessions as in the SKY group where the educational points were reviewed and experiences of the subjects during the previous week was discussed.
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Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Change from Baseline Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale immediately after the intervention and at 8 weeks [At 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 weeks [At 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 optimism post-intervention and at 8 weeks [At 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
- Change from baseline in Insomnia post-intervention and at 8 weeks [At baseline, right after the 3-day intervention, and at 8 weeks post-intervention]
Insomnia scores assesed by the Regensburg Insomnia Scale (RIS).
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
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.
Contacts and Locations
Locations
Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
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1 | Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center | Izmir | Balcova | Turkey | 35330 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Oslo University Hospital
- Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
- Koc University Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
- Ataturk Chest Diseases Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
- Izmır Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey
Investigators
None specified.Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
- Cronlein T, Langguth B, Popp R, Lukesch H, Pieh C, Hajak G, Geisler P. Regensburg Insomnia Scale (RIS): a new short rating scale for the assessment of psychological symptoms and sleep in insomnia; study design: development and validation of a new short self-rating scale in a sample of 218 patients suffering from insomnia and 94 healthy controls. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2013 Apr 22;11:65. doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-11-65.
- Hlubocky FJ, Symington BE, McFarland DC, Gallagher CM, Dragnev KH, Burke JM, Lee RT, El-Jawahri A, Popp B, Rosenberg AR, Thompson MA, Dizon DS, Srivastava P, Patel MI, Kamal AH, Daugherty CK, Back AL, Dokucu ME, Shanafelt TD. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Oncologist Burnout, Emotional Well-Being, and Moral Distress: Considerations for the Cancer Organization's Response for Readiness, Mitigation, and Resilience. JCO Oncol Pract. 2021 Jul;17(7):365-374. doi: 10.1200/OP.20.00937. Epub 2021 Feb 8. No abstract available.
- Lovibond PF, Lovibond SH. The structure of negative emotional states: comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behav Res Ther. 1995 Mar;33(3):335-43. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-u.
- Saatcioglu F, Cirit B, Koprucu Suzer G. The Promise of Well-Being Interventions to Mitigate Physician Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond. JCO Oncol Pract. 2022 Dec;18(12):808-814. doi: 10.1200/OP.22.00108. Epub 2022 Sep 26.
- Scheier MF, Carver CS, Bridges MW. Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): a reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1994 Dec;67(6):1063-78. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.67.6.1063.
- Trockel M, Bohman B, Lesure E, Hamidi MS, Welle D, Roberts L, Shanafelt T. A Brief Instrument to Assess Both Burnout and Professional Fulfillment in Physicians: Reliability and Validity, Including Correlation with Self-Reported Medical Errors, in a Sample of Resident and Practicing Physicians. Acad Psychiatry. 2018 Feb;42(1):11-24. doi: 10.1007/s40596-017-0849-3. Epub 2017 Dec 1.
- iBG-2021-015