The Relational Playbook for Burnout

Overseen By Marguerite M Daus

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development

Disqualifiers: Prisoners, Institutionalized individuals

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to help managers at Veterans Health Administration sites create better work environments to reduce burnout. It tests a resource called the Relational Playbook, designed to improve team culture and address workplace challenges. Participants include VA staff, such as nurses and technicians, from cardiac catheterization labs. Some sites will receive additional leadership coaching to determine if it enhances the effectiveness of the Relational Playbook. This trial could lead to healthier, more supportive workplaces, reducing stress and turnover. As an unphased trial, it offers participants the opportunity to contribute to innovative solutions for improving workplace environments.

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications. It seems unlikely that medication changes are required, as the study focuses on workplace interventions rather than medical treatments.

What prior data suggests that the Relational Playbook and leadership coaching are safe for improving employee well-being?

Research shows that the Relational Playbook is designed to improve workplaces and reduce burnout among healthcare workers. It aims to boost learning and engagement, which are key to lowering stress and job turnover. Although still being tested, the Playbook is based on studies in positive psychology and team science, which explore effective collaboration.

Leadership coaching, included in the study, has greatly reduced job burnout. Coaching helps leaders manage stress and enhance work performance. Research indicates that coaching can effectively lessen negative workplace effects early on, making it a promising part of this effort.

No specific reports of negative effects from using the Playbook or the coaching have emerged. Since the trial is in the "Not Applicable" phase, it is likely still in early testing stages, meaning safety evidence is still being collected. However, because these methods aim to improve work environments and personal growth, they are generally seen as low-risk. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about The Relational Playbook for Burnout because it offers a novel approach to tackling burnout by focusing on leadership coaching and relational strategies, rather than solely individual therapies or pharmacological interventions. Unlike standard options that may rely on personal stress management techniques or counseling, this method emphasizes enhancing leadership skills and providing structured support to leaders, potentially creating a more supportive work environment. By implementing enhanced leadership coaching, the Playbook aims to address burnout at an organizational level, which could lead to more sustainable and widespread improvements in employee well-being.

What evidence suggests that the Relational Playbook and leadership coaching are effective for reducing clinician burnout?

Research has shown that the Relational Playbook, which all participants in this trial will implement, can help reduce burnout and improve team environments. It includes 50 proven methods to enhance work culture by fostering joy and managing challenging relationships. In this trial, some participants will receive enhanced leadership coaching alongside the Playbook. Studies indicate that combining leadership coaching with these methods can lessen burnout symptoms and boost overall well-being among leaders. Notably, 90% of clinicians in past studies agreed that coaching helped with burnout. This suggests that using the Playbook along with leadership coaching could effectively improve employee well-being in healthcare settings. ^{3 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Heather Marie Gilmartin, PhD NP BSN

Principal Investigator

Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, CO

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for frontline managers at the Veterans Health Administration, specifically those working in cardiac catheterization laboratories. It aims to help them create supportive team environments that can reduce burnout and turnover among healthcare workers.

Inclusion Criteria

I am a pregnant female VA employee and my participation will not affect my pregnancy.

Primary human subjects are members of VA CCLs from 6 sites

Members generally consist of CCL nurses, technicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, residents, fellows, and physicians

Exclusion Criteria

Protected classes such as prisoners and institutionalized individuals are excluded

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Implementation Phase

Implementation of the Relational Playbook and leadership coaching in CCLs

6 months

Monthly virtual coaching sessions for enhanced group

Evaluation Phase

Evaluation of feasibility and acceptability of the Playbook intervention

6 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for the maintenance of Playbook interventions

1 year

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Leadership Coaching
• The Relational Playbook

Trial Overview The study tests 'The Relational Playbook' intervention with two types of support: enhanced leadership coaching or standard implementation support. The goal is to see if these methods are feasible and acceptable ways to improve work culture and employee well-being.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Enhanced Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

CCLs will be randomized to enhanced leadership coaching implementation support (n=3) or standard implementation support (n=3). All groups will implement the Playbook. The enhanced group will receive 6 months of leadership coaching support. The standard implementation group will receive logistical support, but no alternative to coaching, such as advisement.

Group II: Standard Active Control 1 Intervention

The standard implementation group will receive logistical support, but no alternative to coaching, such as advisement.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

VA Office of Research and Development

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,691

Recruited

3,759,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Relationship Competence Training (RCT) is a new framework designed to help families improve their ability to support each other during difficult times, which can enhance overall family health.

RCT also serves as a valuable tool for healthcare providers to address 'compassion fatigue' by promoting mental health and continuity of care in challenging healthcare settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Rebuilding Family Relationship Competencies as a Primary Health Intervention. Reiss-Brennan, B., Oppenheim, D., Kirstein, JL.[2023]

A total of 228 studies on patient outcomes in nursing were analyzed, revealing that 50% measured only a single outcome variable, with physical health and psychosocial functioning being the most common areas of focus.

There was significant variability in the measurement tools used across different nursing specialties, with only 20 out of 119 tools being used more than once, indicating a lack of standardization in patient-outcome measurement methods.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

British studies which measure patient outcome, 1990-1994. French, B.[2019]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10726131/

Coaching leaders toward favorable trajectories of burnout ... This study shows that an executive coaching intervention can decrease burnout symptoms and increase vigor in leaders.

2. dionleadership.com dionleadership.com/leadership-coaching-effectiveness-research-study/

Leadership Coaching Effectiveness Research Study 65% My overall well-being (stress, health, focus, burnout) has improved because of leadership coaching. Over the last few years, much has been written about ...

3. td.org td.org/content/atd-blog/a-data-driven-case-for-leadership-coaching

A Data-Driven Case for Leadership Coaching Our data shows that coaching consistently improves leader performance. With an average of 95 percent agreement over three years of data.

4. management-minute.com management-minute.com/blog/f/leadership-burnout-crisis-scientific-evidence-and-solutions?blogcategory=accountability

Leadership Burnout Crisis: Scientific Evidence and Solutions Peer support programs reduce burnout by 20-35%, while character-based recognition systems (focusing on values and contributions rather than just ...

5. jenonline.org jenonline.org/article/S0099-1767(24)00167-3/fulltext

Implementation of Coaching to Address Burnout in ... Ninety percent of clinicians agreed or strongly agreed that coaching helped improve their burnout and said they would consider it again in the ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11998450/

Empowering leadership and occupational burnout The current study findings shows that empowering leadership significantly reduces occupational burnout. Furthermore, the results of the study ...

7. frontiersin.org frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1259672/full

Coaching leaders toward favorable trajectories of burnout ... Coaching has been shown to be an effective intervention to reduce negative workplace outcomes such as burnout in the early stages of the condition for employees ...

8. blog.superhuman.com blog.superhuman.com/executive-burnout-statistics/

Executive burnout statistics 2025: A look into the ... 56% of leaders hit burnout in 2024 while 43% of companies lost half their leadership teams. Meanwhile 74% of healthcare executives report extreme stress.

9. bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12912-025-03421-1

Exploring the connections between destructive leadership ... The results of the study demonstrate a clear link between destructive leadership and increased burnout and occupational pressure among nurses.