ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Tyra Fainstad, MD; Carlos Rodriguez, PhD; Carlee Kreisel, MPH; Jennifer Caragol, MD; Pari Shah Thibodeau, PhD, MSW, LCSW; Marisa Kostiuk, PhD; Adrienne Mann, MD
Corresponding Author: Tyra Fainstad, MD; University of Colorado, School of Medicine
Email: tyra.fainstad@cuanschutz.edu
DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2024.240022R1
Keywords: Coaching, Physicians, Psychological Well-Being, Randomized Clinical Trials
Dates: Submitted: 01-17-2024 Revised: 04-26-2024; Accepted: 05-13-2024
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BACKGROUND: Physician burnout contributes to distress, turnover and poor patient outcomes. Evidence suggests individual professional coaching may mitigate burnout but is costly and time intensive. Group coaching evidence is lacking. Here, we assess a group coaching program in ambulatory-based faculty.
METHODS: A randomized clinical trial occurred from February 1st, 2023- May 31st, 2023, in 5 ambulatory and/or primary care-based departments at an academic institution. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention (offered a 4-month, online, group coaching) or to a control group (not offered coaching). Surveys measuring validated dimensions of distress (burnout, impostor syndrome, moral injury, loneliness) and wellbeing (self-compassion, flourishing) were administered before and after the intervention. A linear mixed model analysis was performed on an intent-to-treat basis.
RESULTS: Among 160 participants, the mean (SD) age was 42.0 (8.4), 131 (81.9%) identified as female, and 135 (85.4%) as White. Group coaching improved intervention participants’ burnout domain of depersonalization (delta: -1.72 points [CI: -3.26, -0.17]; p=0.03), impostor syndrome (delta: -0.82 points [95% CI: -1.47, -0.18, p=0.01), and flourishing (0.35 points (95% CI: 0.03, 0.66), p=0.03) compared to the control. There were no significant differences in the other domains of burnout, or moral injury, loneliness, or self-compassion.
DISCUSSION: Four months of group-coaching improved some wellbeing outcomes in ambulatory-based clinicians. The intervention may be particularly useful given its accessibility, and online delivery supports greater scalability and lower cost than individual coaching.
CONCLUSION: Group coaching is an institutionally provided, individually harnessed tool to heal physician burnout.