Narrative Medicine for Healthcare Professional Burnout

Overseen By Cormac O'Donovan, MD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Disqualifiers: Not AHWFB faculty

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 4

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to find effective ways to reduce burnout in healthcare professionals, a condition where work stress causes exhaustion and a sense of unfulfillment. Participants will attend narrative medicine workshops that use storytelling and reflective writing to help manage stress. The trial specifically targets faculty members in internal medicine, surgery, or pediatrics at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. As an unphased trial, it provides a unique opportunity for participants to explore innovative stress management techniques.

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that narrative medicine workshops are safe for healthcare professionals?

Research has shown that narrative medicine workshops can help healthcare workers manage burnout and enhance their empathy toward patients. These workshops aim to improve understanding and connection with patients, which can reduce stress.

Studies have found that participants generally find these workshops helpful, with no reported negative effects. They are easy to join, primarily involving talking and writing exercises. No harmful effects have been associated with attending these sessions. Participants often report feeling more empathetic and less stressed afterward.

Overall, these workshops are considered safe and beneficial for healthcare workers seeking to manage burnout. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Narrative Medicine Workshops are unique because they focus on storytelling and reflective writing, which are not typically part of standard treatments for healthcare professional burnout, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or mindfulness programs. This approach gives healthcare workers a creative outlet to express their experiences, potentially reducing stress and emotional exhaustion. Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores a fresh angle on mental health support, aiming to enhance empathy and communication skills that are crucial for healthcare professionals.

What evidence suggests that narrative medicine workshops are effective for healthcare professional burnout?

Research has shown that narrative medicine workshops, which participants in this trial will attend, can help reduce burnout in healthcare workers. These workshops integrate storytelling with medical practice to enhance well-being. Studies indicate that attendees often feel less burned out and more empathetic. For example, one study found that narrative medicine lowered burnout rates among medical residents. Another study observed improvements in emotional intelligence and empathy, which are linked to reduced stress. Overall, narrative medicine workshops appear promising in addressing burnout by fostering a more supportive and caring work environment. ^{1 5 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Cormac O'Donovan, MD

Principal Investigator

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for healthcare professionals experiencing burnout, which includes feelings of exhaustion and reduced job satisfaction. Participants should be currently working in the healthcare field.

Inclusion Criteria

Study participants must be current faculty at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (AHWFB) within three departments: internal medicine, surgery and pediatrics

Exclusion Criteria

Faculty who are not currently working at AHWFB may be excluded

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Initial Workshop

Participants attend an initial workshop to introduce the concepts of narrative medicine and flash writing

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Narrative Medicine Workshops

Participants attend 3 to 6 monthly narrative medicine workshops

6 months

3-6 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in burnout levels using the Maslach Burnout Inventory

1 month

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Narrative Medicine Workshop

Trial Overview The study is testing whether a Narrative Medicine Workshop can help reduce stress and prevent burnout among healthcare workers by allowing them to share stories and experiences.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: narrative medicine workshops Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

participants will be asked to attend 3/6 monthly narrative medicine workshops through the study's duration following an initial workshop that will be used to introduce the concepts of narrative medicine and flash writing

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,432

Recruited

2,506,000+

Citations

1. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07136597

Narrative Medicine Effects on Burnout and Stress Narrative medicine has been proposed as a model for humane and effective medicine, combining narrative competence and medical practice.

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10357272/

Effects on empathy and burnout - PMC - PubMed Central - NIH In this study, we sought to evaluate the effect of NM workshops on burnout and empathy and to assess resident perceptions of the workshops.

3. atsjournals.org atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.34197/ats-scholar.2024-0108BR

Evaluation of a Narrative Medicine Workshop for ... Narrative medicine (NM) workshops have been used in residency training programs as successful interventions to decrease burnout rates (4, 5). NM ...

4. jhmhp.amegroups.org jhmhp.amegroups.org/article/view/6891/html

Analyses of burn-out among medical professionals and ... However, physicians experience burnout at a higher rate of 54%, significantly surpassing other clinical positions (7). The cost to healthcare attributable to ...

5. journals.lww.com journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/fulltext/2022/11001/using_narrative_medicine_workshops_to_improve.22.aspx

Using Narrative Medicine Workshops to Improve Empathy ... Sponsored in part by an AAMC grant, our research assesses how participation in the NM course affects burnout, empathy, and emotional intelligence. This study ...

6. mededportal.org mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10493

Narrative Medicine: A Writing Workshop Curriculum for ... Linking physician burnout and patient outcomes: exploring the dyadic relationship between physicians and patients. Health Care Manage Rev.2008;33(1):29–39 ...

7. bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-024-05254-z

Applying narrative medicine to prepare empathetic healthcare ... This study sought to apply and evaluate the narrative medicine approach in extending empathy in Asian undergraduate pharmacy students.

8. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17533015.2024.2403607

The potential of narrative-based medicine interventions ... The potential of narrative-based medicine interventions targeting hospital practitioner burnout: findings from a scoping review · Full Article · Figures & data ...