Burnout prevention pilot intervention for healthcare workers during COVID-19

Miranda Corpora, LMSW; Andres F. Leone, MD; Elena Liggett, LISW-CP

doi:10.5055/jem.0600

Authors

Miranda Corpora, LMSW https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2317-0075
Andres F. Leone, MD
Elena Liggett, LISW-CP

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0600

Keywords:

healthcare workers, burnout, COVID-19, music therapy, chaplaincy, mindfulness

Abstract

Background: Burnout is often prevalent among healthcare workers (HCWs) given the stressful nature of their work. COVID-19 has intensified HCW burnout, and little is known about burnout prevention interventions that may help alleviate HCW burnout during COVID-19.

Methods: This study adopted a pre-experimental post-test only design. The sample (n = 53) was adult HCWs at a large metropolitan-area hospital. The intervention consisted of a memorial service that included music by a music therapist, chaplain support, and mindfulness-promoting provisions.

Results: Results showed that 33.9 percent of participants reported currently feeling burned out and 98.1 percent of participants found the intervention helpful. Feedback from participants showed that they thoroughly appreciated the opportunity to pause and remember.

Conclusion: Given the promising results of this pilot study, coupled with increased burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout interventions for HCWs should be further explored.

Author Biographies

Miranda Corpora, LMSW

Miami University, Department of Sociology and Gerontology, Oxford, Ohio

Andres F. Leone, MD

Prisma Health Palliative Care, Columbia, South Carolina

Elena Liggett, LISW-CP

Prisma Health Palliative Care, Columbia, South Carolina

References

Klein A, Taieb O, Xavier S, et al.: The benefits of mindfulness-based interventions on burnout among health professionals: A systematic review. Explore. 2020; 16(1): 35-43. DOI:10.1016/j.explore.2019.09.002.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Burnout among health professionals and its effect on patient safety, 2015. Available at https://psnet.ahrq.gov/perspective/burnout-among-health-professionals-and-its-effect-patient-safety. Accessed February 12, 2021.

Aghaei MH, Vanaki Z, Mohammadi E: Emotional bond: The nature of relationship in palliative care for cancer patients. Indian J Palliat Care. 2020; 26(1): 86-94. DOI:10.4103/IJPC.IJPC_181_19.

Sansone RA, Sansone LA: Physician grief with patient death. Innov Clin Neurosci. 2012; 9(4): 22-26.

Granek L, Bartels U, Scheinemann K, et al.: Grief reactions and impact of patient death on pediatric oncologists. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2014; 62(1): 134-142. DOI:10.1002/pbc.25228.

Dutheil F, Aubert C, Pereira B, et al.: Suicide among physi¬cians and health-care workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2019; 14(12): e0226361. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0226361.

Ayanian JZ: Mental health needs of health care workers provid¬ing frontline COVID-19 care. JAMA Health Forum. 2020; 1(4): e200397. DOI:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2020.0397.

Wall S, Austin JW, Garros D: Organizational influences on health professionals’ experiences of moral distress in PICUs. HWC Forum. 2016; 28: 53-67. DOI:10.1007/s10730-015-9266-8.

Sultana et al.: Burnout among healthcare providers during COVID-19: Challenges and evidence-based interventions. Indian J Med Ethics. 2020. DOI:10.20529/IJME.2020.73.

Kacem I, Kahloul M, Arem SE, et al.: Effects of music therapy on occupational stress and burn-out risk of operating room staff. Libyan J Med. 2020; 15(1): 1768024. DOI:10.1080/19932820.2020. 1768024.

Liberman T, Kozikowski A, Carney M, et al.: Knowledge, atti¬tudes, and interactions with chaplains and nursing staff outcomes: A survey study. J Relig Health. 2020; 1-15. DOI:10.1007/s10943- 020-01037-0.

Wachholtz A, Rogoff M: The relationship between spirituality and burnout among medical students. J Contemp Med Educ. 2013; 1(2): 83-91. DOI:10.5455/jcme.20130104060612.

Schoenborn N, Cheng M, Christmas C: A memorial service to provide reflection on patient death during residency. J Grad Med Educ. 2013; 5(4): 686-688. DOI:10.4300/JGME-D-12-00322.1.

Frey F: SPSS (Software). The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods, 2017: 1-2. DOI:10.1002/9781118901731.iecrm0237.