AdventHealth Launches Research Study to Evaluate an Evidence-based Intervention Designed to Address Physician Burnout

In Medscape’s most recent Physician Burnout & Depression Report, 49 percent of U.S. physicians surveyed across 29 specialties said they felt burned out. Left unaddressed, burnout can erode physicians’ mental health, and according to the National Academy of Medicine, the high prevalence of physician burnout poses an under-recognized threat to the delivery of safe, high-quality health care.

AdventHealth Research Institute is currently seeking physicians experiencing exhaustion, irritability, hopelessness, anxiety, work/home imbalance or similar burnout symptoms to participate in a research study called RISE for Physicians. An evidence-based, 2.5-day retreat-style well-being intervention led by licensed mental health care professionals, it builds off the success of a similar program developed for and implemented with AdventHealth nurses and nurse leaders.

RISE focuses on four themes: Resilience, Insight, Self-compassion and Empowerment. During the retreat, physicians will learn self-care knowledge and skills while also processing emotional experiences and sharing with colleagues in a non-judgmental environment.

Enrollment in RISE for Physicians is open to AdventHealth employed, contract or non-employed physicians (MD or DO) with AdventHealth privileges. They can choose to attend one of three scheduled programs in Central Florida in September, October, or November 2024. Although travel costs will not be reimbursed, food and lodging during the study will be covered, and compensation will be provided for completion of the entire study.

Battling the Physician Burnout Epidemic and Its Impacts

Burnout has been defined as long-term, unresolved, job-related stress leading to exhaustion, cynicism, depersonalization and decline in a sense of personal accomplishment. For physicians, this has been attributed to increasing obstacles and daily demands of the profession, including administrative burdens, insurance authorization and payment challenges, and reduced time spent on direct delivery of patient care.

Cross sectional studies of physicians have found burnout to be independently associated with increased alcohol use/dependence and suicide. Numerous studies have also documented the negative impacts physician burnout has on quality of care and safety, patient satisfaction and physician turnover.

“Despite all of these harms, there has been little research on effective interventions for physicians,” says Amanda Sawyer, PhD, AdventHealth Research Institute Biobehavioral Research Scientist and Principal Investigator of RISE for Physicians. “With the RISE for Physicians study, we aim to change that.”

Michael Cacciatore, MD, AdventHealth Chief Clinical Officer and Executive Sponsor of the RISE for Physicians study concurs. “While the concept of burnout is not new, it grew significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains high today. As an organization focused on delivering whole-person health, we know this is an epidemic AdventHealth must address. I encourage physicians who may be struggling with burnout to explore this unique opportunity designed to improve their well-being.”

More About RISE for Physicians

A burnout intervention initially developed as an 8-week program for nurses, RISE provides education to improve coping and well-being by addressing the underlying causes and effects of high stress, burnout and compassion fatigue while also offering support and facilitation to heal existing stress injuries. It was first piloted with AdventHealth direct care nurses in 2018, and in 2019, a randomized controlled trial was conducted. The program was then adapted for unit-based nurse leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic and piloted during the height of the Delta surge in 2021. In 2022, the AdventHealth Research Institute conducted a randomized controlled trial with nurse managers and assistant nurse managers.

All four studies demonstrated feasibility and statistically significant improvements in well-being outcomes, including those related to the four RISE program themes along with post-traumatic growth, professional quality of life and perceived stress.

“We have empirical support for RISE with nurses, and using the same foundation and framework, we have adapted the program for a physician population, consolidating it into an intensive 2.5 day retreat-style intervention,” states AdventHealth Research Institute Psychotherapist and Research Scientist Mandi Bailey, MA, LMHC, RISE developer and sub-investigator for the RISE research studies. “RISE is unique in that it is grounded in therapeutic best practices that integrate mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

To evaluate the effectiveness of RISE for Physicians, the research team will measure several indicators of the physician participants’ mental well-being using pre-intervention surveys followed by post-intervention surveys at both 1 month and 3 months after the retreat. Specific outcomes include post-traumatic growth, resilience, insight, self-compassion, empowerment, perceived stress, burnout and professional quality of life.

The RISE for Physicians research team expects to report initial results of the study in early 2025.

Physicians interested in enrolling in the RISE for Physicians study should visit https://forms.office.com/r/3u3HBpppRA.