Effect of an 8-week Heartfulness Meditation Program on Burnout and Stress at Veterinary Specialty Hospital

NCT06338098 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: HFNVSH.001
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 74
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This quantitative study assesses the effects of meditation and relaxation practices on the reduction of burnout and stress in veterinary care workers. Assessments at baseline will include the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Maslach Burnout Toolkit, and the same questionnaires were collected in Week 8 and Week 16. The Google form questionnaire will ask the participant for their email address. The form will also include a question eliciting interest in participation in the 8-weeks Heartfulness Meditation program. The program will include tools that promote a heart-based nurturing environment focusing on relaxation, and tools to cope with burnout.

Conditions

Stress; Burnout, Professional

Keywords

Heartfulness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Assess the current level of Anxiety

  To assess the current level of stress levels through Perceived Stress Scale. Individual scores on the PSS can range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress.

  Week 0

• Changes level of Stress

  To assess the beneficial impact of Heartfulness program on lowering the Stress. Individual scores on the PSS can range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress.

  Week 8 and Week 16

• Assess the current level of Burnout

  To assess the current level of burnout levels through Maslach Burnout Toolkit Scale which included Maslach Burnout Inventory for healthcare professionals (MBI-HSS) and Areas of Worklife (AWS). The MBI-HSS comprised 22 questions across 3 subscales; Emotional Exhaustion (EE)-9 questions, Depersonalization (DP)-5 questions, and self-perceived lack of Personal Accomplishment (PA)-8 questions. Responses were scored on a six-point Likert scale (ranging from 0 = never to 6 = everyday) for each subscale, and tabulated into three tiers (low, moderate or high) based on the reference ranges provided with the MBI-HSS. The higher the score the worse the burnout levels. The AWS is a 28 item questionnaire subdivided into six areas with a response scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). Higher the score in a sub-area shows a better area in work life.

  Week 0

• Changes level of Burnout

  To assess the beneficial impact of Heartfulness program on improving burnout levels through Maslach Burnout Toolkit Scale which included Maslach Burnout Inventory for healthcare professionals (MBI-HSS) and Areas of Worklife (AWS). The MBI-HSS comprised 22 questions across 3 subscales; Emotional Exhaustion (EE)-9 questions, Depersonalization (DP)-5 questions, and self-perceived lack of Personal Accomplishment (PA)-8 questions. Responses were scored on a six-point Likert scale (ranging from 0 = never to 6 = everyday) for each subscale, and tabulated into three tiers (low, moderate or high) based on the reference ranges provided with the MBI-HSS. The higher the score the worse the burnout levels. The AWS is a 28 item questionnaire subdivided into six areas with a response scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). Higher the score in a sub-area shows a better area in work life.

  Week 8 and Week 16

Study Arms (2)

Heartfulness Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the meditation program will be provided with guided meditation and relaxation audio clips to spend approximately 20 minutes per day on the meditation and relaxation activities and participate each week in a 20-30 minutes online meditation webinar with a certified meditation trainer. All meditation and relaxation exercises can be performed in the comfort of your own home or other place of your choosing. The intervention will be entirely online.

Behavioral: 8-week wellness and relaxation meditation program

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

The control group had no change in their daily routines.

Interventions

8-week wellness and relaxation meditation program BEHAVIORAL

Heartfulness Meditation program will be provided with guided meditation and relaxation audio clips to spend approximately 20 minutes per day on the meditation and relaxation activities and participate each week in a 20-30 minutes online meditation webinar with a certified meditation trainer. All meditation and relaxation exercises can be performed in the comfort of your own home or other place of your choosing. The intervention will be entirely online.

Also known as: 8-week Heartfulness Meditation Program

Heartfulness Group

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Above the age of 18 years
• An employee of MSPCA-Angell Hospital

You may not qualify if:

• Experience suicidal ideation
• Diagnosed with manic-depressive disorders
• Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Diagnosed with psychotic disorders, or any other psychiatric conditions requiring treatment
• All eligible members are encouraged to check with their healthcare provider before participation.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Heartfulness Institute: lead
• Angell Animal Medical Center: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Angell Animal Medical Center,

Boston, Massachusetts, 02130, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Burnout, Professional

Interventions

Health

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Occupational Stress; Occupational Diseases; Burnout, Psychological; Stress, Psychological; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Population Characteristics

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 23, 2024
• First Posted: March 29, 2024
• Study Start: February 28, 2023
• Primary Completion: October 2, 2023
• Study Completion: October 2, 2023
• Last Updated: April 2, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF
• Time Frame: Starting six months after publication
• Access Criteria: Access criteria IPD and any additional supporting information will be shared with the researchers furthering research in stress management and emotional wellness tools.

Locations

US (1)