Burn OutNCT07018609
Mitigating Burnout in Nursing and Associated Healthcare Staff
A study testing Zen Den Experience and Music Therapy Experience in people with Burn Out and Nurses, run by Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Trial summary
Workplace stress for healthcare workers is at an all-time high and the COVID-19 Pandemic magnified and amplified the impact of stress and burnout on health care workers, especially for frontline staff such as nurses. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- What is being tested?
- Zen Den Experience and Music Therapy Experience
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 300 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2027to 30 Apr 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- English-speaking employees or students at Penn State Health and College of Medicine.
Who cannot join
- Non-English speaking individuals
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: The Zen Den - Mitigating Burnout in Nursing and Associated Healthcare Staff
Workplace stress for healthcare workers is at an all-time high and the COVID-19 Pandemic magnified and amplified the impact of stress and burnout on health care workers, especially for frontline staff such as nurses. There are multiple external and individual factors that affect clinician well-being, and organizational factors are an important aspect to address when attempting to mitigate nurse burnout and improve well-being. This project seeks to expand two interventions that were piloted in the last few years since the Covid-19 Pandemic, validated to show improvement in staff well-being and decreased feelings of burnout following the interventions, and are easily implemented to benefit nurses and other multidisciplinary health care workers and students in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.
- Being tested
- Zen Den Experience, Music Therapy Experience
- Keywords
- Burnout, Nurses, Music Therapy
- Medical subject headings
- Burnout, Psychological
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Zen Den ExperienceBehavioural
The Zen Den is a dedicated safe space for healthcare staff to decompress and recharge during shifts, addressing the growing issue of workplace stress. It has soft warm lighting, sound machines and aroma therapy, relaxing furnishings centered around a faux fireplace to create a stress-free environment.
Music Therapy ExperienceBehavioural
The music therapy experience will consist of either Music Minutes which have music therapists available on specific units and circulating amongst staff across flexible shift times. Intervention choices will include relaxation songs, motivation songs, music, mindfulness, breathing to music, dance-a-minute, and brief song rewrites. Notes for Resilience will be scheduled group sessions that follow a more structured format and are 30 to 60 minutes in length. Involvement and coping will be emphasized through active forms of music participation, including drum circles, unit playlist creation, song writing, jam sessions, and song discussion.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Zen Den | Active comparator | Zen Den Receives: Behavioral: Zen Den Experience |
| Music Therapy | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Music Therapy Experience |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
The number of subjects who state preference for having long-term access to the intervention.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
Measured: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
The number of subjects who report improvement of subject's energy level needed to complete immediate job responsibilities.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
Measured: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
The number of subjects who report improvement of subject's understanding of what is needed in the moment to overcome challenges.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
Measured: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
The number of subjects who report improvement navigating challenging or difficult situations in the workplace
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
Measured: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
The number of subjects who report improvement in expressing thoughts, questions and feelings with colleagues situations in the workplace.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
Measured: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
The number of subjects who report improvement in feeling less isolated at work.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
Measured: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
Secondary outcomes (1)
The number of subjects reporting the intervention was well facilitated.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
Measured: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Jun 2025
- Study start1 Sep 2027 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Apr 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Apr 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Burn OutStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Milton S. Hershey Medical CenterThe 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
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Eric Messner, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
- Investigators
- ERIC R MESSNER, PhD, Principal investigator, Penn State University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07018609
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Study00026654
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 4 Jun 2025
- Last updated
- 5 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Zen Den - Mitigating Burnout in Nursing and Associated Healthcare Staff
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07018609
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Study00026654
- Keywords
- Burnout, Nurses, Music Therapy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Milton S. Hershey Medical CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2027 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 Apr 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Apr 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 Jun 2025 (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.
Workplace stress for healthcare workers is at an all-time high and the COVID-19 Pandemic magnified and amplified the impact of stress and burnout on health care workers, especially for frontline staff such as nurses. There are multiple external and individual factors that affect clinician well-being, and organizational factors are an important aspect to address when attempting to mitigate nurse burnout and improve well-being. This project seeks to expand two interventions that were piloted in the last few years since the Covid-19 Pandemic, validated to show improvement in staff well-being and decreased feelings of burnout following the interventions, and are easily implemented to benefit nurses and other multidisciplinary health care workers and students in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Zen Den | Active comparator | Behavioral: Zen Den ExperienceZen Den |
| Music Therapy | Active comparator | Behavioral: Music Therapy Experience |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- English-speaking employees or students at Penn State Health and College of Medicine.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Non-English speaking individuals
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Zen Den ExperienceThe Zen Den is a dedicated safe space for healthcare staff to decompress and recharge during shifts, addressing the growing issue of workplace stress. It has soft warm lighting, sound machines and aroma therapy, relaxing furnishings centered around a faux fireplace to create a stress-free environment. | Behavioural | Zen Den |
| Music Therapy ExperienceThe music therapy experience will consist of either Music Minutes which have music therapists available on specific units and circulating amongst staff across flexible shift times. Intervention choices will include relaxation songs, motivation songs, music, mindfulness, breathing to music, dance-a-minute, and brief song rewrites. Notes for Resilience will be scheduled group sessions that follow a more structured format and are 30 to 60 minutes in length. Involvement and coping will be emphasized through active forms of music participation, including drum circles, unit playlist creation, song writing, jam sessions, and song discussion. | Behavioural | Music Therapy |
Primary outcome
The number of subjects who state preference for having long-term access to the intervention.
Time frame: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
The number of subjects who report improvement of subject's energy level needed to complete immediate job responsibilities.
Time frame: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
The number of subjects who report improvement of subject's understanding of what is needed in the moment to overcome challenges.
Time frame: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
The number of subjects who report improvement navigating challenging or difficult situations in the workplace
Time frame: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
The number of subjects who report improvement in expressing thoughts, questions and feelings with colleagues situations in the workplace.
Time frame: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
The number of subjects who report improvement in feeling less isolated at work.
Time frame: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
This will be measured on a Likert scale where 0 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree
1 secondary outcome
The number of subjects reporting the intervention was well facilitated.
Time frame: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 Jun 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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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.
ERIC R MESSNER, PhD principal investigator
Penn State University
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Zen Den Experience and Music Therapy Experience in people with Burn Out and Nurses, run by Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
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 1 inclusion and 1 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact ERIC R MESSNER, PhD (7175318348, emessner@pennstatehealth.psu.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
The number of subjects who state preference for having long-term access to the intervention. (time frame: Survey data will be collected at the end of the intervention up to 30 minutes post intervention.). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. 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 5 Jun 2026.