Data-Driven Approaches to Health Care Provider Resilience and Burnout During COVID-19
Abstract
Our nation is battling dual pandemics, heath care provider (HCP) exhaustion and COVID-19. HCP burnout is a well-described syndrome of exhaustion leading to compromised functioning. It is aptly described by some as a “virus” that affects both the HCPs and those under their care due to the emotional depletion and impaired judgement that can result (WHO, 2019). Burnout impairs HCP’s ability to provide safe and effective patient care. Thus, it is of paramount importance to study interventions that build resilience in HCPs to reduce their burnout for optimal patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study will evaluate how resilience and burnout affects providers’ immunity, heart and brain function and measure the effectiveness of two interventions, transcendental meditation (TM) and Effective Resolution management (ERM) coaching as distinct, but potentially complementary, interventions. We will divide volunteer physicians, physician trainees, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses and respiratory therapists that qualify based on study criteria to receive either TM or coaching or both and will monitor changes in self-reported well-being, heart health, and changes in their brain activity over 2 years. We will utilize artificial intelligence statistical methods to minimize bias and maximize the insights we can gain from the multiple measurements we will perform. Our military troops and Veterans are experiencing higher symptoms of their baseline mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, further stressing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and military mental health care provider workforce to experience a high degree of burnout. In addition to mental health providers, our study will also recruit HCPs from the Durham VA, so that our study findings will have a direct impact on health care of military troops, Veterans and their families, as well as our civilian patients. Upon completion, we will have developed new non-drug tools to help all caregivers. If successful, we plan to extend these studies to patients in future.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 05, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2110977
Entities
People
- Patty J Lee
Organizations
- Duke University
- United States Army