Trial Evaluating the Effect of Facilitated Small Group Sessions on Physician Well-Being, Job Satisfaction, and Professionalism

NCT01159977 | Completed Phase 2

• 1 other identifier: 09-008232
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 74
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The study purpose is to evaluate the effect of a small group discussion based intervention on physician well-being, job satisfaction, and professionalism. Participants will be put in one of 3 groups by chance (as in the flip of a coin). A computerized selection process will be used to assign participants to the study groups. There is a 1 in 3 chance of being assigned at random to either of the 3 groups. The first study group will meet once every two weeks for 9 months (from September 2010 through June 2011) from 12:30 pm until 2:00 pm. These meetings will be small group discussion sessions with groups of no more than 15 participants. Lunch will be provided for the first 30 minutes, and group discussion during the next 1 hour will be guided by the session facilitator around such topics as work-life balance, meaning in work, medical mistakes, spirituality, and unmet patient needs. However, the discussions will be open forums, and the groups themselves will help decide on topics relevant to the group. The 1 hour of protected non-clinical time every other week required for this group will be funded by the study. The second study group will also have 1 hour of protected non-clinical time provided every other week for the same 9 months. This study group will not participate in small group discussions, but may use the protected time for professional tasks as they wish. Participants in the third study group will continue with their current work practices, but will be provided with protected time to complete study surveys. If group sizes are too small after recruitment to allow a complete study of all three groups, the third study group will be removed and participants will be randomly assigned to one of the first two study groups only. Participants in all groups will be asked to complete a quarterly survey on well-being, job satisfaction, and professionalism. Follow-up surveys will also be administered 3 months and 1 year after the conclusion of the small group sessions. Each survey is expected to take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.

Conditions

Physician Well-being; Physician Job Satisfaction

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Physician burnout

  Burnout measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

  September 2010 - June 2012

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Physician job satisfaction

  September 2010 - June 2012

Study Arms (3)

Facilitated small group

EXPERIMENTAL

Facilitated small groups.

Behavioral: Facilitated small groups

Unstructured protected time

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Same time provided as for facilitated small groups, but without structure.

Behavioral: Unstructured time.

Usual practice

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

No protected time.

Behavioral: Usual practice

Interventions

Facilitated small groups BEHAVIORAL

1 hour sessions every 2 weeks for small groups of 9 participants, 19 sessions over 9 months.

Facilitated small group

Unstructured time. BEHAVIORAL

1 protected hour every 2 weeks for 9 months, without small group structure.

Unstructured protected time

Usual practice BEHAVIORAL

No protected time provided.

Usual practice

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Senior Associate Consultant or Consultant in the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine.

You may not qualify if:

• No clinical effort.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Mayo Clinic: lead

Study Sites (1)

Mayo Clinic

Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• West CP, Dyrbye LN, Rabatin JT, Call TG, Davidson JH, Multari A, Romanski SA, Hellyer JM, Sloan JA, Shanafelt TD. Intervention to promote physician well-being, job satisfaction, and professionalism: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Apr;174(4):527-33. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.14387.

  PMID: 24515493 DERIVED

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 2
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Consultant

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 8, 2010
• First Posted: July 12, 2010
• Study Start: June 1, 2010
• Primary Completion: June 1, 2012
• Study Completion: June 1, 2012
• Last Updated: November 15, 2012

Record last verified: 2012-11

Locations

US (1)