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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 12 of 12 Research Studies DisplayedGiordano NA, Swan BA, Johnson TM
Scalable and sustainable approaches to address the well-being of healthcare personnel.
This article discusses current research that stemmed from a HRSA grant to implement interventions to reduce burnout and optimize behavioral health in the healthcare workforce as part of their Health and Public Safety Workforce Resilient Training Program. A total of 34 awards were made, with the common focus on implementing individual-level mindfulness and compassion-based interventions. The authors are one of the awardees and discuss their efforts to implement a program called Atlanta’s Resiliency Resource fOr frontline Workers (ARROW). This program offers comprehensive resources for resiliency enrichment, mindfulness training and professional development for clinicians and staff working within metropolitan Atlanta healthcare systems. The authors hope to address concerns regarding the paucity of long-term data following participation in mindfulness training, the use of heterogenous and unscalable interventions and restricted enrollment that hinders generalizability.
AHRQ-funded; HS026232.
Citation: Giordano NA, Swan BA, Johnson TM .
Scalable and sustainable approaches to address the well-being of healthcare personnel.
J Adv Nurs 2023 Feb; 79(2):e12-e15. doi: 10.1111/jan.15505..
Keywords: Burnout, Provider: Health Personnel, Stress
Sexton JB, Adair KC, Cu X
Effectiveness of a bite-sized web-based intervention to improve healthcare worker wellbeing: a randomized clinical trial of WISER.
The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to test the effectiveness of the Web-based Implementation for the Science of Enhancing Resilience (WISER) intervention, a positive psychology program constructed to improve six dimensions of the wellbeing of healthcare workers (HCW). The researchers utilized cohorts comprised of actively employed HCWs across the United States: cohort 1 received WISER web-based intervention in the form of links daily for 10 days exposing them to videos and positive psychology exercises; cohort 2 served as a 14-day waiting list control before receiving the same. The study found that at 1 week, when compared to the control group, WISER significantly improved depressive symptoms, work-life integration, happiness, emotional thriving, and emotional recovery, but not emotional exhaustion. Results of the combined cohort 1, 6, and 12 months revealed that all 6 wellbeing outcomes were significantly improved relative to the baseline. At the 6-month assessment, 87% of partifipants reported favorable impressions of WISER.
AHRQ-funded; HS027837.
Citation: Sexton JB, Adair KC, Cu X .
Effectiveness of a bite-sized web-based intervention to improve healthcare worker wellbeing: a randomized clinical trial of WISER.
Front Public Health 2022 Dec 8; 10:1016407. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1016407..
Keywords: Provider: Health Personnel, Burnout, Stress
Enayat M, Farahani NZ, Chaudhry AP
Incorporating RTLS-based spatiotemporal information in studying physical activities of clinical staff.
This research used Real-Time location systems (RTLS) to study the amount of physical activity exerted by physicians, residents, nurses, and staff in the emergency department (ED). The goal of this research is to examine how low and high physical activity can affect the physical and mental health of clinicians, which can lead to fatigue and burnout. The authors used one year worth of raw RFID data that covers the movement records of 38 physicians, 13 residents, 163 nurses, and 33 staff in the ED. They compared results to the values reported in the literature and showed despite the low spatial resolution of RTLS, their non-invasive estimations were closely comparable to the ones measured by Fitbit or other wearable pedometers.
AHRQ-funded; HS026622.
Citation: Enayat M, Farahani NZ, Chaudhry AP .
Incorporating RTLS-based spatiotemporal information in studying physical activities of clinical staff.
Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2021 Nov;2021:2386-91. doi: 10.1109/embc46164.2021.9630597..
Keywords: Provider: Physician, Provider: Clinician, Stress, Burnout
Ellis RJ, Nicolas JD, Cheung E
Comprehensive characterization of the general surgery residency learning environment and the association with resident burnout.
Researchers sought to characterize the learning environment and to evaluate associations with burnout using a cross-sectional survey administered to all U.S. general surgery residents. They found that the overall burnout rate was 43.0%, and residents were more likely to report burnout if they also identified problems with residency workload, efficiency, social support, organizational culture, meaning in work, or experienced workplace mistreatment. They recommended efforts to help programs identify and address weaknesses in a targeted fashion in order to improve trainee burnout.
AHRQ-funded; HS000078.
Citation: Ellis RJ, Nicolas JD, Cheung E .
Comprehensive characterization of the general surgery residency learning environment and the association with resident burnout.
Ann Surg 2021 Jul 1;274(1):6-11. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000004796..
Keywords: Burnout, Surgery, Stress, Provider: Physician
Campbell AM, Mattoni M, Yefimov MN
Improving cognitive workload in radiation therapists: a pilot EEG neurofeedback study.
The authors employed an accelerated alpha-theta neurofeedback (NF) protocol to test if 12 radiation therapy therapists (RTTs) could learn the protocol and exhibit behavior and brain performance-related benefits. Following the 3-week protocol, participants showed a decrease in subjective cognitive workload and a decrease in response time during a performance task, as well as a decrease in desynchrony of the alpha electroencephalogram band. The authors concluded that the RTTs successfully learned the protocol and improved in perceived cognitive workload following 3 weeks of neurofeedback.
AHRQ-funded; HS025597.
Citation: Campbell AM, Mattoni M, Yefimov MN .
Improving cognitive workload in radiation therapists: a pilot EEG neurofeedback study.
Front Psychol 2020 Dec 3;11:571739. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.571739..
Keywords: Provider, Burnout, Stress, Workforce
Poghosyan L, Ghaffari A, Liu J
Organizational support for nurse practitioners in primary care and workforce outcomes.
Lack of organizational support in healthcare settings has been linked to high levels of clinician stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction. Little research exists on organizational support for nurse practitioners. In this study, the researchers investigated the relationship between organizational support and nurse practitioner outcomes, including job satisfaction, intent to leave, and quality of care. The investigators concluded that nurse practitioners from primary care practices with higher levels of organizational support were more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, have less intent to leave their jobs, and report better quality of care.
AHRQ-funded; HS024758.
Citation: Poghosyan L, Ghaffari A, Liu J .
Organizational support for nurse practitioners in primary care and workforce outcomes.
Nurs Res 2020 Jul/Aug;69(4):280-88. doi: 10.1097/nnr.0000000000000425..
Keywords: Provider: Clinician, Provider, Primary Care, Burnout, Stress, Workforce, Organizational Change
Bansal P, Bingemann TA, Greenhawt M
Clinician wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic: extraordinary times and unusual challenges for the allergist/immunologist.
This article describes current challenges for the allergy/immunology community due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The need for social distancing adds to complexity of care and can create isolation and anxiety. The authors suggests that tools such as the Strength-Focused and Meaning-Oriented Approach to Resilience and Transformation approach, wellness apps, mindfulness and gratitude can be used to help reduce issues contributing to burnout, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
AHRQ-funded; HS024599.
Citation: Bansal P, Bingemann TA, Greenhawt M .
Clinician wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic: extraordinary times and unusual challenges for the allergist/immunologist.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 Jun;8(6):1781-90.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2020.04.001..
Keywords: COVID-19, Burnout, Stress, Provider: Clinician, Provider: Physician
Hu YY, Ellis RJ, Hewitt DB
Discrimination, Abuse, Harassment, and Burnout in Surgical Residency Training.
A cross-sectional national survey of general surgery residents, administered with the 2018 American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination, assessed mistreatment, burnout, and suicidal thoughts during the past year. The authors assessed the association of mistreatment with burnout and suicidal thoughts; they found that mistreatment occurs frequently among general surgery residents, especially women, and is associated with burnout and suicidal thoughts.
AHRQ-funded; HS000078.
Citation: Hu YY, Ellis RJ, Hewitt DB .
Discrimination, Abuse, Harassment, and Burnout in Surgical Residency Training.
N Engl J Med 2019 Oct 31;381(18):1741-52. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsa1903759..
Keywords: Education: Continuing Medical Education, Burnout, Stress, Surgery, Provider: Physician, Provider, Training
Kroth PJ, Morioka-Douglas N, Veres S
Association of electronic health record design and use factors with clinician stress and burnout.
The authors sought to determine which electronic health record (EHR) design and use factors are associated with clinician stress and burnout and to identify other sources that contribute to this problem. Surveying ambulatory primary care and subspecialty clinicians from 3 institutions, they found that, although EHR design and use factors are associated with clinician stress and burnout, other challenges, such as chaotic clinic atmospheres and workload control, explain considerably more of the variance in these adverse clinician outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS022065.
Citation: Kroth PJ, Morioka-Douglas N, Veres S .
Association of electronic health record design and use factors with clinician stress and burnout.
JAMA Netw Open 2019 Aug 2;2(8):e199609. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.9609..
Keywords: Burnout, Stress, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Primary Care, Provider: Clinician, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse
Nocon RS, Fairchild PC, Gao Y
Provider and staff morale, job satisfaction, and burnout over a 4-year medical home intervention.
This study examined the impact of adopting the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) on clinicians and staff at primary care practices. A longitudinal study was done comparing baseline (201) and post-intervention (2013-2014) survey results. Five-hundred thirty-six providers and staff at baseline and 589 were surveyed post-intervention. Almost half of all clinics reported improved better job morale, job satisfaction, and freedom from burnout. However, there were some clinics that saw a decrease in the percentage of providers reporting high job satisfaction and freedom from burnout. Control clinics were not used in this study, so it is impossible to know if results were similar in non-PCMH primary care practices.
AHRQ-funded; HS000084.
Citation: Nocon RS, Fairchild PC, Gao Y .
Provider and staff morale, job satisfaction, and burnout over a 4-year medical home intervention.
J Gen Intern Med 2019 Jun;34(6):952-59. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-04893-z..
Keywords: Burnout, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Primary Care, Primary Care: Models of Care, Provider, Provider: Clinician, Stress
Simpkin AL, Khan A, West DC
Stress from uncertainty and resilience among depressed and burned out residents: a cross-sectional study.
This study examined how stress from uncertainty is related to resilience among medical residents and whether those attributes are related to depression and burnout. The investigators surveyed 86 residents in pediatric residency programs from 4 urban freestanding children’s hospitals in North America in 2015. They used the Physicians’ Reaction to Uncertainty Scale to measure stress from uncertainty, the 14-item Resilience Scale to measure uncertainty, the Harvard National Depression Scale for depression, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory for burnout. There was a response rate of 58.1%. Five residents met depression criteria, and 15 residents met the burnout criteria. Depressed and burned out residents both had higher mean levels of stress compared to residents who neither depressed nor burned out.
AHRQ-funded; HS022986.
Citation: Simpkin AL, Khan A, West DC .
Stress from uncertainty and resilience among depressed and burned out residents: a cross-sectional study.
Acad Pediatr 2018 Aug;18(6):698-704. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2018.03.002..
Keywords: Burnout, Stress, Depression, Provider: Physician, Behavioral Health, Provider, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Hospitals
Linzer M, Poplau S, Grossman E
A cluster randomized trial of interventions to improve work conditions and clinician burnout in primary care: results from the Healthy Work Place (HWP) Study.
This study aimed to assess if improvements in work conditions reduce clinician stress and burnout. It found that burnout was more likely to improve with workflow interventions and with targeted QI projects than in controls. Also, interventions in communication or workflow led to greater improvements in clinician satisfaction.
AHRQ-funded; HS018160.
Citation: Linzer M, Poplau S, Grossman E .
A cluster randomized trial of interventions to improve work conditions and clinician burnout in primary care: results from the Healthy Work Place (HWP) Study.
J Gen Intern Med 2015 Aug;30(8):1105-11. doi: 10.1007/s11606-015-3235-4..
Keywords: Burnout, Stress, Primary Care, Workflow, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Communication