Burnout is an increasing concern in the medical professions. This study aims to utilise established, validated self-report measures combined with continuous heart rate variability measurements to better understand the stress and recovery patterns experienced by doctors that may contribute to burnout.
This mixed methods study design will consist of an ecological momentary assessment phase where participants will complete commonly used and validated real-time subjective measures while concurrently wearing a heart rate variability monitor to provide an objective measure of stress. Following on from this, participants of interest will be invited to participate in semi structured interviews to further explore their experiences of stress and recovery.
Working within NHS Grampian
Access to a smartphone
Cardiac arrhythmias/endocrine disease.
Prescription beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, benzodiazepines, antidepressants and antianxiety medications.
Insufficient non-working time prior to study commencement.
Medical Doctors working within NHS Grampian
Cohort
Prospective
Not listed
Heart rate variability
Continuous heart rate variability over 7 day study period
Burnout
Maslach Burnout Inventory - 22 item scale measuring occupational burnout. Each item asks participants to rank on a scale from never to every day. An overall score is then calculated from the results.
Resilience
Resilience Scale for Adults The RSA is a 33-item self-report scale examining intrapersonal and interpersonal factors presumed to assist them to be able to adapt to adversities. Responses are provided via 5-point Likert scale.
Wellbeing
ICOPPE Wellbeing Scale The I-COPPE scale(21) has 6 individual domains of interpersonal, community, occupational, physical, psychological, and economic - all of which have been individually validated against overall wellbeing. The scale asks participants to rate each of the wellbeing domains at three different time points, now, one year previously and one year in the future totalling 21 items.
EMA Measures
Real-Time Job Demands NASA task load index (NASA TLX) is a multidimensional workload assessment tool. It contains six subscales of mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration. The overall workload is derived from an average of the six subscales listed. Real-Time Job Resources This is a six-item scale derived from the job-demands resources model of burnout. The items contained within the scale are feedback, rewards, job control, participation, job security and supervisor support. Flow Included is a single item question asking participants "have you felt completely absorbed by a challenging but doable task". Given the paucity of literature understanding what "flow" might mean within this study population and how this may relate to HRV there is a free text box allowing participants to expand on their experience. Fatigue The Rating of Fatigue (ROF) scale(59)is a single-item visual analogue scale.
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