Distress, EmotionalNCT05149911
Effect of a Life Coaching Intervention on the Well-being and Distress of Physicians
A study testing Life Coaching in people with Distress, Emotional and Burnout, run by Ottawa Hospital Research Institute at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
There is a widespread epidemic of distress and burnout (i.e., extreme distress) among Canadian physicians. Burnout is costly to physicians, patients, and healthcare organizations as it compromises physicians' own health and reduces their capacity to deliver high quality, safe care to patients. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Distress, Emotional, Burnout
- What is being tested?
- Life Coaching
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 180 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 14 Jul 2022to 28 Nov 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Registered staff physician, resident, or fellow
- Currently practicing in Canada
- (For the 'Francophone minority patients' group only) Sometimes conducts thorough consultations completely in French for French-speaking patients outside Quebec
Who cannot join
- Previously received life coaching in the last 5 years
- Currently receiving psychotherapy
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
The Ottawa Hospital
Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y4E9
Sylvain Boet, MD, PhD, 613-798-8899 ext. 78187, sboet@toh.on.ca
YeonJung Yoo, MPH, 613-798-5555 ext. 14775
About this study
Official title: Effect of a Life Coaching Intervention on the Well-being and Distress of Physicians: A Randomized Clinical Trial
There is a widespread epidemic of distress and burnout (i.e., extreme distress) among Canadian physicians. Burnout is costly to physicians, patients, and healthcare organizations as it compromises physicians' own health and reduces their capacity to deliver high quality, safe care to patients. Life coaching delivered by certified coaches is a personal development tool. Life coaching has been proven to help individuals maximize their strengths and skills to handle stressors, regain control over their lives, act according to their core values, and achieve their full potential, consequently reducing their vulnerability to burnout. The investigators will evaluate life coaching for physicians' well-being in the current Canadian context. Physicians from centres in Canada will be randomly assigned to life coaching (intervention) or no coaching (control) group. The coaching group will receive a 1-hour initial coaching session followed by five 30-minute coaching sessions occurring at a frequency of every 2 to 3 weeks within 5 months (total of 3.5 coaching hours). All coaching sessions will be delivered virtually by certified life coaches. The investigators will assess the impact of coaching on physician distress and quality of life before and after the intervention.
- Conditions
- Distress, Emotional, Burnout
- Being tested
- Life Coaching
- Medical subject headings
- Burnout, Psychological
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Life CoachingBehavioural
Sessions with a professional life coach.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Coaching | Experimental | Participants randomized to the coaching group will receive a 1-hour initial professional coaching session followed by five 30-minute professional coaching sessions occurring at a goal frequency of every 2 to 3 weeks within 5 months (total of 3.5 coaching hours). All coaching sessions will be conducted individually (i.e. between one coach and one participant). Participants will be able to request coaching on any topic to individualize the intervention, but the general structure of the sessions will be standardized across participants. All coaching sessions will be performed over the phone or virtual web meeting as standard in coaching practices. Receives: Behavioral: Life Coaching |
| Control | No intervention | Participants randomized to the control group will receive "no intervention" but will be asked to complete the distress and wellness survey at the same time points as participants in the intervention group. Participants in the control group will receive the life coaching intervention after the statistical analysis is completed. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Quality of Life score at 5 months
Assessed using the reduced version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), one of the most widely used questionnaires for assessing adult QOL, including among healthcare professionals.
Measured: 5 months
Secondary outcomes (7)
Change in Burnout score at 5 months
Measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Minimum score 0, maximum score 132. A higher score is worse, i.e., more burnout.
Measured: 5 months
Change in Resilience score at 5 months
Measured using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Sale. Minimum score 0, maximum score 100. A higher score is better, i.e., more resilience.
Measured: 5 months
Change in Job Satisfaction score at 5 months
Measured using the Global Job Satisfaction subscale of the Physician Job Satisfaction Scale. Minimum score 12, maximum score 60. A higher score is better, i.e., more satisfied.
Measured: 5 months
Change in Job Engagement score at 5 months
Measured using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Minimum score 0, maximum score 102. A higher score is better, i.e., better engagement.
Measured: 5 months
Change in Job Empowerment and Meaning score at 5 months
Measured using the Empowerment at Work Scale. Minimum score is 12, maximum score is 84. A higher score is better, i.e., higher empowerment.
Measured: Baseline and 5 months
Absence from work due to mental or physical illness
Measured as the number of days reported by participants.
Measured: Baseline
Absence from work due to mental or physical illness
Measured as the number of days reported by participants.
Measured: 5 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted8 Dec 2021
- Study start14 Jul 2022
- Primary completion22 Nov 2024 (estimated)
- Study completion28 Nov 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Distress, EmotionalStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Ottawa Hospital Research InstituteThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 180 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, University of Ottawa
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Sylvain Boet, MD, PhD, Principal investigator, The Ottawa Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05149911
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 20210617-01H
- Status last verified
- Nov 2023
- First submitted
- 29 Oct 2021
- Last updated
- 7 Nov 2023
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 7 Nov 2023. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of a Life Coaching Intervention on the Well-being and Distress of Physicians: A Randomized Clinical Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05149911
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 20210617-01H
- Conditions
- Distress, Emotional, Burnout
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 180 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Ottawa Hospital Research InstituteUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, University of Ottawa
- Study start
- 14 Jul 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 22 Nov 2024 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 28 Nov 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 8 Dec 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
There is a widespread epidemic of distress and burnout (i.e., extreme distress) among Canadian physicians. Burnout is costly to physicians, patients, and healthcare organizations as it compromises physicians' own health and reduces their capacity to deliver high quality, safe care to patients. Life coaching delivered by certified coaches is a personal development tool. Life coaching has been proven to help individuals maximize their strengths and skills to handle stressors, regain control over their lives, act according to their core values, and achieve their full potential, consequently reducing their vulnerability to burnout. The investigators will evaluate life coaching for physicians' well-being in the current Canadian context. Physicians from centres in Canada will be randomly assigned to life coaching (intervention) or no coaching (control) group. The coaching group will receive a 1-hour initial coaching session followed by five 30-minute coaching sessions occurring at a frequency of every 2 to 3 weeks within 5 months (total of 3.5 coaching hours). All coaching sessions will be delivered virtually by certified life coaches. The investigators will assess the impact of coaching on physician distress and quality of life before and after the intervention.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Coaching | Experimental | Behavioral: Life CoachingParticipants randomized to the coaching group will receive a 1-hour initial professional coaching session followed by five 30-minute professional coaching sessions occurring at a goal frequency of every 2 to 3 weeks within 5 months (total of 3.5 coaching hours). All coaching sessions will be conducted individually (i.e. between one coach and one participant). Participants will be able to request coaching on any topic to individualize the intervention, but the general structure of the sessions will be standardized across participants. All coaching sessions will be performed over the phone or virtual web meeting as standard in coaching practices. |
| Control | No intervention | –Participants randomized to the control group will receive "no intervention" but will be asked to complete the distress and wellness survey at the same time points as participants in the intervention group. Participants in the control group will receive the life coaching intervention after the statistical analysis is completed. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Registered staff physician, resident, or fellow
- Currently practicing in Canada
- (For the 'Francophone minority patients' group only) Sometimes conducts thorough consultations completely in French for French-speaking patients outside Quebec
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Previously received life coaching in the last 5 years
- Currently receiving psychotherapy
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Life CoachingSessions with a professional life coach. | Behavioural | Coaching |
Primary outcome
Change in Quality of Life score at 5 months
Time frame: 5 months
Assessed using the reduced version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), one of the most widely used questionnaires for assessing adult QOL, including among healthcare professionals.
7 secondary outcomes
Change in Burnout score at 5 months
Time frame: 5 months
Change in Resilience score at 5 months
Time frame: 5 months
Change in Job Satisfaction score at 5 months
Time frame: 5 months
Change in Job Engagement score at 5 months
Time frame: 5 months
Change in Job Empowerment and Meaning score at 5 months
Time frame: Baseline and 5 months
Absence from work due to mental or physical illness
Time frame: Baseline
Absence from work due to mental or physical illness
Time frame: 5 months
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 7 Nov 2023.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Sylvain Boet, MD, PhD principal investigator
The Ottawa Hospital
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Life Coaching in people with Distress, Emotional and Burnout, run by Ottawa Hospital Research Institute at 1 site in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Nov 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Sylvain Boet, MD, PhD (613-737-8899 ext. 78187, sboet@toh.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Quality of Life score at 5 months (time frame: 5 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 7 Nov 2023.