STOPTHEBURN: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Death Cafés for Burnout Prevention in ICU Employees.
Ann Am Thorac Soc
; 2024 Jul 25.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39052070
ABSTRACT
RATIONALE Effective interventions to prevent burnout among intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians are urgently needed. Death Cafés, group discussions about death, build a sense of community and create a space for reflection on distressing events. OBJECTIVE:
To assess whether participation in regular Death Cafés can prevent burnout in ICU clinicians (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists).METHODS:
A randomized clinical trial was conducted from July 2020-December 2022 in ten ICUs in Louisiana. Subjects were randomized to attend four psychotherapist-facilitated, virtual Death Cafés or to a control arm. MEASUREMENTS AND MAINRESULTS:
The primary outcome was burnout defined by the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) at 6 months. Depression and anxiety scores were measured as well as qualitative data on stressors, coping, and Death Café experience. Among 340 clinicians screened and consented (171 physicians; 169 non-physicians), 251 participated (mean age 31.0ï±6.8 years, 63% female, 72% white, 37% nurses, 27% residents, 25% interns, 11% other). Burnout prevalence was 19% at baseline. Of 136 participants who completed 6-month follow-up, no significant differences were found between intervention and control for the primary outcome (18% versus 25%, unadjusted OR 0.64 [95% CI 0.26-1.57], p=0.33). There were no differences in anxiety or depression. Notably, the study was limited by an inability to achieve target enrollment and high attrition rate (46%).CONCLUSIONS:
Virtual Death Cafés were unable to reduce burnout, although the study was underpowered to detect differences between groups. Clinical trial registered with Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04347811).
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Ann Am Thorac Soc
Year:
2024
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States