Burn OutNCT05251675
Effect of Physician Peer Coaching on Burnout in Hospital-Based Physicians: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial
A study testing Physician Led Professional Coaching and Delayed Physician Led Professional Coaching in people with Burn Out, run by Geisinger Clinic at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The prevalence of burnout symptoms among physicians is high, especially for acute care physicians. Physician burn out is a long-term stress reaction marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of sense of personal accomplishment. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 89 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Burn Out
- What is being tested?
- Physician Led Professional Coaching and Delayed Physician Led Professional Coaching
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 51 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 22 Jun 2022to 26 Sep 2024
- 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 to 89 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Geisinger Physician
- Practicing medicine at least 6 months in the Geisinger system
Who cannot join
- Currently seeking professional coaching sessions
- Planning to leave the Geisinger system within 1 year
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
The prevalence of burnout symptoms among physicians is high, especially for acute care physicians. Physician burn out is a long-term stress reaction marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of sense of personal accomplishment. The healthcare environment, due to its demanding pace and emotional intensity, puts physicians at high risk for burnout.
Read the detailed description
Physician-Led Professional Coaching is a one-on-one intervention between a physician coach and an individual physician that is systematic, collaborative, future-focused, goal-oriented and is meant to help coaches attain valued professional or personal development. The trial will be conducted with 25 participants in an intervention cohort and 25 participants in a control. The intervention cohort will receive 6 individual coaching sessions over 6 months. Coaching sessions will use the CHEER acronym for conducting the coaching sessions: Celebrate, Hear, Executive coaching, Engage, and Recharge. The control group will be eligible for coaching sessions after the completing of the interventional arm. Physicians randomized to the control arm will be offered the same individualized coaching sessions as those that were in the intervention group. Te Maslach Burnout Inventory survey will be used to measure burnout and will be collected at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months. The physician coach will be blinded to all survey data as it is being collected.
- Conditions
- Burn Out
- Being tested
- Physician Led Professional Coaching, Delayed Physician Led Professional 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.
Physician Led Professional CoachingBehavioural
This is a one-on-one intervention between a physician coach and an individual physician. This is meant to help coaches attain valued professional or personal development.
Delayed Physician Led Professional CoachingBehavioural
This intervention will include professional one-on-one professional coaching delayed from the active comparator group.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Coaching Group | Active comparator | This arm will receive physician led coaching during the first 6 months of the study. Receives: Behavioral: Physician Led Professional Coaching |
| Non-Coached Group | Placebo comparator | This arm will not receive physician led coaching until after the Coaching Group is finished with their coaching. Receives: Behavioral: Delayed Physician Led Professional Coaching |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory
Providers will be asked to complete Maslach Burnout Inventory surveys at specific times during the coaching intervention. The surveys are based on a score of 0 (never) to 6 (every day) and used to determine if there is a reduction in provider burnout.
Measured: 9 months
Secondary outcomes (1)
Change in work environment factors contributing to burnout by Areas of Work life Survey
Providers will be asked to complete Areas of Work life surveys at specific times during the coaching intervention. The surveys are based on a score of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) and used to determine if there is a reduction in provider workload.
Measured: 9 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Feb 2022
- Study start22 Jun 2022
- Primary completion14 Jun 2023
- Study completion26 Sep 2024
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.
- 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
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Investigator
- Enrolment
- 51 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Geisinger Clinic
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Prasanna Tadi, MD, Principal investigator, Geisinger Clinic
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05251675
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2022-0144
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 1 Feb 2022
- Last updated
- 28 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of Physician Peer Coaching on Burnout in Hospital-Based Physicians: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05251675
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2022-0144
- Conditions
- Burn Out
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 51 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Geisinger ClinicUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 22 Jun 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 14 Jun 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 26 Sep 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 23 Feb 2022 (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.
The prevalence of burnout symptoms among physicians is high, especially for acute care physicians. Physician burn out is a long-term stress reaction marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of sense of personal accomplishment. The healthcare environment, due to its demanding pace and emotional intensity, puts physicians at high risk for burnout.
Detailed description
Physician-Led Professional Coaching is a one-on-one intervention between a physician coach and an individual physician that is systematic, collaborative, future-focused, goal-oriented and is meant to help coaches attain valued professional or personal development. The trial will be conducted with 25 participants in an intervention cohort and 25 participants in a control. The intervention cohort will receive 6 individual coaching sessions over 6 months. Coaching sessions will use the CHEER acronym for conducting the coaching sessions: Celebrate, Hear, Executive coaching, Engage, and Recharge. The control group will be eligible for coaching sessions after the completing of the interventional arm. Physicians randomized to the control arm will be offered the same individualized coaching sessions as those that were in the intervention group. Te Maslach Burnout Inventory survey will be used to measure burnout and will be collected at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months. The physician coach will be blinded to all survey data as it is being collected.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Single blind (investigator)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Coaching Group | Active comparator | Behavioral: Physician Led Professional CoachingThis arm will receive physician led coaching during the first 6 months of the study. |
| Non-Coached Group | Placebo comparator | Behavioral: Delayed Physician Led Professional CoachingThis arm will not receive physician led coaching until after the Coaching Group is finished with their coaching. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 89 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Geisinger Physician
- Practicing medicine at least 6 months in the Geisinger system
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Currently seeking professional coaching sessions
- Planning to leave the Geisinger system within 1 year
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Physician Led Professional CoachingThis is a one-on-one intervention between a physician coach and an individual physician. This is meant to help coaches attain valued professional or personal development. | Behavioural | Coaching Group |
| Delayed Physician Led Professional CoachingThis intervention will include professional one-on-one professional coaching delayed from the active comparator group. | Behavioural | Non-Coached Group |
Primary outcome
Change in burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory
Time frame: 9 months
Providers will be asked to complete Maslach Burnout Inventory surveys at specific times during the coaching intervention. The surveys are based on a score of 0 (never) to 6 (every day) and used to determine if there is a reduction in provider burnout.
1 secondary outcome
Change in work environment factors contributing to burnout by Areas of Work life Survey
Time frame: 9 months
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 May 2026.
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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.
Prasanna Tadi, MD principal investigator
Geisinger Clinic
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Physician Led Professional Coaching and Delayed Physician Led Professional Coaching in people with Burn Out, run by Geisinger Clinic at 1 site in United States.
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 2 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 May 2026. 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 United States. 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (time frame: 9 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 28 May 2026.