Better Together: an Online Physician Coaching Program for Medical Trainees

NCT ID: NCT05280964

Last Updated: 2023-04-10

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

101 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2020-12-01

Study Completion Date

2023-01-01

Brief Summary

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This is a single-institution randomized controlled trial. 101 female residents were recurited from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. They enrolled beginning in January 2021 and participated in the coaching program for 6 months via a web-based system. Participants were randomized into either the intervention or wait-list control arm. Participants in the intervention arm began the 6-month coaching program in January, 2021. Participants in the wait-list control arm have received no additional resources from the Better Together program between January and June 2021. The wait-list control group was invited to begin the 6-month coaching program in July 2021. In December 2021, participants from both the intervention and wait-list control groups will be invited to complete a 2nd post survey (identical to the post-survey from June 2021). There will be no incentive for completion of the 2nd post survey. Finally, the longitudinal effect of the program will be assessed by offering the same survey measuring wellbeing via various indices to the intervention arm at 6 months (1/2022), 12 months (7/2022) and 18 months (1/2023) after their intervention. Participation in this survey will be completely voluntary and not incentivized/compensated.

Detailed Description

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Background:

Positive psychology coaching programs demonstrate efficacy in reducing emotional exhaustion (a construct of burnout) and improving coping skills among residents but rely on substantial faculty development and coordination for participants. Considering the disproportionate burnout risk faced by women trainees in medicine, novel strategies to mitigate this risk is needed. Among a national sample of resident physicians, 60% screen positive for burnout. Compared to age-matched peers, residents are significantly more likely to experience burnout and have burnout persist into early careers. Female trainees are particularly vulnerable, with long-term consequences affecting professional development and success. Disproportionate burnout among women may be a contributor to the "leaky pipeline" in academic medicine, where women start their careers as 46% of the resident workforce yet represent only 25% of full professors and 18% of department chairs. Social connectedness and the practice of self-compassion are important intervention in reducing burnout and increasing resilience among residents. Positive psychology coaching programs have specifically had demonstrated efficacy in faculty and residents. Web-based group coaching programs have not been assessed for their potential to reduce burnout and improve resilience and well-being among trainees.

A. Outcome Measure(s):

1. participation (administrative data)
2. participant experience and reflection (interview)
3. measures of burnout and self-compassion as measured on a pre- and post- program survey including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Neff Self Compassion Score (SCS). Semi structured qualitative interviews will be led by a PRA upon completion of the 6-month pilot. The interview script will include questions about program content, participant experience, coping skills, interpersonal connectedness, personal and professional satisfaction, and general reflections.

Description of Population to be Enrolled:

This pilot study recruited individuals from the University of Colorado graduate medical education training programs. The pilot program is limited to female trainees who have greater than 1 year of training left in order to give trainees time to complete the program prior to graduation. Enrollment in the program is entirely voluntary and trainees can cease enrollment at any time.

Study Design and Research Methods:

This is a single-institution randomized controlled trial. 101 female residents were recruited from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. They enrolled beginning in January 2021 and participated in the coaching program for 6 months via a web-based system. The website is secure and only available for program participants. There are monthly modules with asynchronous, self-directed delivery, designed to mitigate the time constraints and faculty development required of traditional in-person coaching. Video recordings of group-coaching calls will be made available to the program participants via the secure website with the intent to allow participants to benefit from group coaching even if they aren't able to attend the calls live. These recordings do contain PHI of participants.

101 women trainees from 12 ACGME training programs enrolled in the program. Participants were randomized into either the intervention or wait-list control arm. Participants in the intervention arm began the 6-month coaching program in January, 2021. Participants in the wait-list control arm have received no additional resources from the Better Together program between January and June 2021.

All participants in both intervention and wait-list control groups will be invited to complete the quantitative post-program survey in June 2021. At the time of the post-program survey in 6/2021, the wait-list control group will not have received the coaching intervention. Following the quantitative and qualitative data collection, the control group was be offered the 6-month coaching program from July-December 2021.

The wait-list control group was invited to begin the 6-month coaching program in July 2021. In December 2021, participants from both the intervention and wait-list control groups will be invited to complete a 2nd post survey (identical to the post-survey from June 2021). There will be no incentive for completion of the 2nd post survey.

Finally, the longitudinal effect of the program will be assessed by offering the same survey measuring wellbeing via various indices to the intervention arm at 6 months (1/2022), 12 months (7/2022) and 18 months (1/2023) after their intervention. Participation in this survey will be completely voluntary and not incentivized/compensated.

Conditions

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Burnout Self-compassion Moral Injury Impostor Phenomenon

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

SEQUENTIAL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Intervention

Enrolled into a 6 month coaching program from January 1 2021 to June 30 2021

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Better Together Physician Coaching

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

6 month, online group coaching program

Control/Wait-list

No intervention from January 1 2021 to July 1 2021 (they were offered the coaching program from July 1 2021-Dec 31 2021)

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Better Together Physician Coaching

6 month, online group coaching program

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* graduate medical education trainees (residents and fellows) at the University of Colorado
* Female identifying

Exclusion Criteria

* Non trainees
* non- female identifying
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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University of Colorado, Denver

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

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University of Colorado School of Medicine

Aurora, Colorado, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Rotenstein LS, Torre M, Ramos MA, Rosales RC, Guille C, Sen S, Mata DA. Prevalence of Burnout Among Physicians: A Systematic Review. JAMA. 2018 Sep 18;320(11):1131-1150. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.12777.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 30326495 (View on PubMed)

Pommier E, Neff KD, Toth-Kiraly I. The Development and Validation of the Compassion Scale. Assessment. 2020 Jan;27(1):21-39. doi: 10.1177/1073191119874108. Epub 2019 Sep 13.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 31516024 (View on PubMed)

Mantri S, Lawson JM, Wang Z, Koenig HG. Identifying Moral Injury in Healthcare Professionals: The Moral Injury Symptom Scale-HP. J Relig Health. 2020 Oct;59(5):2323-2340. doi: 10.1007/s10943-020-01065-w.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 32681398 (View on PubMed)

Villwock JA, Sobin LB, Koester LA, Harris TM. Impostor syndrome and burnout among American medical students: a pilot study. Int J Med Educ. 2016 Oct 31;7:364-369. doi: 10.5116/ijme.5801.eac4.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 27802178 (View on PubMed)

Dyrbye LN, Shanafelt TD, Gill PR, Satele DV, West CP. Effect of a Professional Coaching Intervention on the Well-being and Distress of Physicians: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2019 Oct 1;179(10):1406-1414. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.2425.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 31380892 (View on PubMed)

Palamara K, Chu JT, Chang Y, Yu L, Cosco D, Higgins S, Tulsky A, Mourad R, Singh S, Steinhauser K, Donelan K. Who Benefits Most? A Multisite Study of Coaching and Resident Well-being. J Gen Intern Med. 2022 Feb;37(3):539-547. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-06903-5. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 34100238 (View on PubMed)

Mann A, Fainstad T, Shah P, Dieujuste N, Thurmon K, Dunbar K, Jones C. "We're all going through it": impact of an online group coaching program for medical trainees: a qualitative analysis. BMC Med Educ. 2022 Sep 13;22(1):675. doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03729-5.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 36100880 (View on PubMed)

Fainstad T, Mann A, Suresh K, Shah P, Dieujuste N, Thurmon K, Jones CD. Effect of a Novel Online Group-Coaching Program to Reduce Burnout in Female Resident Physicians: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 May 2;5(5):e2210752. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.10752.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 35522281 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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20-2035

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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