Intervention Trial to Increase Meaning in Work and Reduce Burnout

Intervention Trial Designed to Promote Collegiality and Mutual Support at Work as a Way to Increase Meaning in Work and Reduce Burnout

Collegiality is a one of the great virtues of physician-hood. Mutual support from colleagues to help deal with the challenges of being a physician has long helped physicians manage the stress related to practicing medicine and helped physicians derive meaning from their work. Unfortunately, increased productivity expectations and other changes to the practice of medicine over the last several decades have decreased the time physicians have to interact with colleagues and eroded the fabric of collegiality. Recent studies suggest burnout affects nearly half of U.S. physicians at any given point in time and has substantial personal and professional consequences. The steps organizations can take to promote collegiality are unknown. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the ability of an organizational intervention to encourage collegiality, shared experience, connectedness, and mutual support. This study builds on two prior intervention studies directed by the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-Being, the first focusing on a small group facilitated well-being curriculum and the second focusing on individual electronic tasks to prompt positive reflection and gratitude.

Those randomized to the immediate intervention arm will be asked to meet approximately every other week for 6 months, covering 12 sessions. We will ask each group to meet in a relatively private setting (e.g., a restaurant near campus or a reserved meeting room), rather than more public spaces (e.g. river room, cafeteria) where interruptions are more likely.

Participants randomized to Arm 2 (delayed intervention) will be "wait listed" to begin sessions 6 months after the start of the study. This participation will be optional.

The first 15 minutes of each session will be semi-structured discussion involving i) check in and ii) dialogue about the assigned question. Group leaders will be provided 3-4 discussion questions for each session. The group (or the leader) can choose the one they are most interested in and will then spend 10-15 minutes discussing the question together. Questions will touch on key themes for discussion (see the attached topics list) and are derived from our previous intervention studies. The remainder of the time can be used for socializing and building relationships with colleagues.

Inclusion Criteria: Senior Associate Consultants and Consultants in the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine will be eligible for this study. Exclusion Criteria: None beyond inclusion criteria.

West CP, Dyrbye LN, Satele DV, Shanafelt TD. Colleagues Meeting to Promote and Sustain Satisfaction (COMPASS) Groups for Physician Well-Being: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Mayo Clin Proc. 2021 Oct;96(10):2606-2614. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.02.028. Epub 2021 Aug 5.