Impact of a Virtual Reality-based Mindfulness Program on Clinician Wellness

NCT06246539 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 00001606
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 32
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Burnout shares symptoms with anxiety and depression. While there is no single intervention for burnout, there are validated interventions (which are amenable to virtual reality (VR)) for anxiety and depression. UMassMemorial data from the Professional Well-Being Academic Consortium show that MD burnout and distress has increased since 2020. The investigators believe providing clinicians with a unique tool (VR) will be a feasible and efficacious way to tackle distress. It is known that only 1% of our MDs have done mindfulness training but nearly 50% are interested in doing so. Therefore, a self-administrable, interactive mindfulness program delivered over VR has great potential to reach clinicians who want to practice a more active form of mindfulness at a time convenient to them. The results of the study will provide preliminary evidence to determine if a take-home VR mindfulness program decreases clinician stress.

Conditions

Wellness, Psychological

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (9)

• PROMIS - anxiety

  PROMIS Short Form - anxiety scale. Scores of 8-40; Higher is a worse outcome.

  at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the intervention group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

• PROMIS - anxiety

  PROMIS Short Form - anxiety scale. Scores of 8-40; Higher is a worse outcome.

  at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the control group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

• PROMIS - Depression

  PROMIS Short Form - Depression scale. Scores of 8-40; Higher is a worse outcome.

  at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the intervention group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

• PROMIS - Depression

  PROMIS Short Form - Depression scale. Scores of 8-40; Higher is a worse outcome.

  at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the control group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

• Resiliency

  Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale. Scores of 0-40; Higher score is better.

  at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the intervention group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

• Resiliency

  Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale. Scores of 0-40; Higher score is better.

  at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the control group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

• Stress scale

  Perceived Stress Score. Scores of 0-40; Higher score is worse.

  at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the intervention group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

• Stress scale

  Perceived Stress Score. Scores of 0-40; Higher score is worse.

  at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the control group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

• Usability

  Usability scale. Scores of 10-50; Higher score is better.

  after 12 weeks we will dertermine the usability of the VR intervention in the intervention group

Study Arms (2)

Intervention - VR Mindfulness

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention group will be given the VR headset for their unrestricted use over the 12 week intervention period. The VR headset is exceptionally easy and intuitive to use. Each participant will have the choice of 20 "locations" in which to use the mindfulness-based program. Each of the 20 locations/programs are different. They range in length from 5 minutes (introductory) to 20 minutes.

Behavioral: VR mindfulness

Control

NO INTERVENTION

The control arm will not have any intervention. However, at the conclusion of the study, all participants from the Control group will be given the VR intervention

Interventions

VR mindfulness BEHAVIORAL

VR-based mindfulness

Intervention - VR Mindfulness

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• physician or APP employed by the Medical Group

You may not qualify if:

• Not willing to receive 2 texts per week

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Massachusetts, Worcester: lead

Study Sites (1)

UMassMemorial Health Care

Worcester, Massachusetts, 01655-0002, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Study Officials

• Steven Bird, MD

  University of Massachusetts, Worcester

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Steven Bird, MD

CONTACT

508-421-1422; steven.bird@umassmemorial.org

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor of Emergency Medicine

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 30, 2024
• First Posted: February 7, 2024
• Study Start (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2028
• Last Updated: March 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)