NCT05149911

Brief Summary

There is a widespread epidemic of distress and burnout (i.e., extreme distress) among Canadian physicians. Burnout is costly to physicians, patients, and healthcare organizations as it compromises physicians' own health and reduces their capacity to deliver high quality, safe care to patients. Life coaching delivered by certified coaches is a personal development tool. Life coaching has been proven to help individuals maximize their strengths and skills to handle stressors, regain control over their lives, act according to their core values, and achieve their full potential, consequently reducing their vulnerability to burnout. The investigators will evaluate life coaching for physicians' well-being in the current Canadian context. Physicians from centres in Canada will be randomly assigned to life coaching (intervention) or no coaching (control) group. The coaching group will receive a 1-hour initial coaching session followed by five 30-minute coaching sessions occurring at a frequency of every 2 to 3 weeks within 5 months (total of 3.5 coaching hours). All coaching sessions will be delivered virtually by certified life coaches. The investigators will assess the impact of coaching on physician distress and quality of life before and after the intervention.

Trial Health

43
At Risk

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
180

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Jul 2022

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
unknown

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

October 29, 2021

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

December 8, 2021

Completed
7 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

July 14, 2022

Completed
2.4 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

November 22, 2024

Completed
1 year until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

November 28, 2025

Completed
Last Updated

November 7, 2023

Status Verified

November 1, 2023

Enrollment Period

2.4 years

First QC Date

October 29, 2021

Last Update Submit

November 4, 2023

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Change in Quality of Life score at 5 months

    Assessed using the reduced version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), one of the most widely used questionnaires for assessing adult QOL, including among healthcare professionals.

    5 months

Secondary Outcomes (7)

  • Change in Burnout score at 5 months

    5 months

  • Change in Resilience score at 5 months

    5 months

  • Change in Job Satisfaction score at 5 months

    5 months

  • Change in Job Engagement score at 5 months

    5 months

  • Change in Job Empowerment and Meaning score at 5 months

    Baseline and 5 months

  • +2 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

Coaching

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants randomized to the coaching group will receive a 1-hour initial professional coaching session followed by five 30-minute professional coaching sessions occurring at a goal frequency of every 2 to 3 weeks within 5 months (total of 3.5 coaching hours). All coaching sessions will be conducted individually (i.e. between one coach and one participant). Participants will be able to request coaching on any topic to individualize the intervention, but the general structure of the sessions will be standardized across participants. All coaching sessions will be performed over the phone or virtual web meeting as standard in coaching practices.

Behavioral: Life Coaching

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants randomized to the control group will receive "no intervention" but will be asked to complete the distress and wellness survey at the same time points as participants in the intervention group. Participants in the control group will receive the life coaching intervention after the statistical analysis is completed.

Interventions

Life CoachingBEHAVIORAL

Sessions with a professional life coach.

Coaching

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Registered staff physician, resident, or fellow
  • Currently practicing in Canada
  • (For the 'Francophone minority patients' group only) Sometimes conducts thorough consultations completely in French for French-speaking patients outside Quebec

You may not qualify if:

  • Previously received life coaching in the last 5 years
  • Currently receiving psychotherapy

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

The Ottawa Hospital

Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y4E9, Canada

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Burnout, Psychological

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Stress, PsychologicalBehavioral SymptomsBehavior

Study Officials

  • Sylvain Boet, MD, PhD

    The Ottawa Hospital

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Sylvain Boet, MD, PhD

CONTACT

YeonJung Yoo, MPH

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
OTHER
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

October 29, 2021

First Posted

December 8, 2021

Study Start

July 14, 2022

Primary Completion

November 22, 2024

Study Completion

November 28, 2025

Last Updated

November 7, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-11

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations