BurnoutNCT05636072
The WISER Study: Web Based Methods for Enhancing Resilience
A study testing WISER in people with Burnout, run by Duke University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This is a research study to find out if web-based resilience tools can increase well-being. Enrolled participants will try out one or more brief positive psychology tools. The tools ask participants to reflect on positive experiences or to do an activity (e.g., write a letter of gratitude). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Burnout
- What is being tested?
- WISER
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 8,000 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Nov 2022to 31 Dec 2027
- 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
- Adults 18 and over are considered eligible for the study. A sub-sample will include employees (including but not limited to frontline caregivers, support staff and management) of the Duke University Health System, as well as external health systems. All participants will be invited to participate in one or more of the online tools. The investigators will allow the participation of any clinical areas/healthcare worker groups whose leaders express interest in building resilience. The investigators are targeting healthcare workers for recruitment in the study, but adults 18+ are eligible to participate in any of these tools. Identification as a healthcare worker or not is part of data collection in every tool.
Who cannot join
- Adults who are not proficient in English, do not have basic computer skills, or who have prohibitive vision or hearing disabilities will be excluded from this study as they will be incapable of full participation in the intervention and/or the survey process.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Duke University Health System
Durham, North Carolina, 27707
J. Bryan Sexton, PhD, 919-681-4949, Bryan.Sexton@duke.edu
Kathryn Adair, PhD, +1 919 681 4949, Kathryn.C.Adair@duke.edu
About this study
This is a research study to find out if web-based resilience tools can increase well-being.
Enrolled participants will try out one or more brief positive psychology tools. The tools ask participants to reflect on positive experiences or to do an activity (e.g., write a letter of gratitude). The study is entirely online and participants will be prompted to participate via email or text messages.
Read more
The study team is interested in the effects of the tools on stress, depression, and burnout in adults. A set of brief surveys are administered before and after using the tool, and again at follow-up periods (e.g., 1, 3, 6 and 12 months). Surveys are collected electronically using the secure, HIPAA-compliant survey software.
There is no direct benefit to participants for participating in this research study aside from the potential to experience improvements in well-being. Risks are minimal and include the potential to feel emotional or psychological distress when asked questions related to burnout.
- Conditions
- Burnout
- Being tested
- WISER
- Keywords
- Burnout, Well-being, Behavioral Health
- Medical subject headings
- Burnout, Psychological
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
WISERBehavioural
Participants will engage in one or more positive psychology well-being tool(s).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment Immediately | Experimental | Participants will engage in well-being tools immediately for 1-week. Receives: Behavioral: WISER |
| Waitlist Control | No intervention | Participants will wait 1 week to begin the well-being tools. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Emotional Exhaustion as measured by the 5-item Emotional Exhaustion Scale
Survey scores are measured on a 1-5 Likert-like agreement scale.
Measured: Baseline, Day 8, and 1, 6, and 12 month follow-ups
Secondary outcomes (2)
Change in Emotional Recovery as measured by the 4-item Emotional Recovery Scale
Survey scores are measured on a 1-5 Likert-like agreement scale.
Measured: Baseline, Day 8, and 1, 6, and 12 month follow-ups
Change in Work-life Integration as measured by the 7-item Work-life Integration Scale
Survey scores are measured with a 1-4 frequency of behaviors scale.
Measured: Baseline, Day 8, and 1, 6, and 12 month follow-ups
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted5 Dec 2022
- Study start1 Nov 2022
- Primary completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (5)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for BurnoutStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Duke UniversityThe 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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Waitlist control group Randomized Control Design
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 8,000 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Duke University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- John B Sexton, PhD, Principal investigator, Duke
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05636072
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Pro00063703
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 23 Nov 2022
- Last updated
- 8 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Only the research team will be accessing the data.
Publications
Seligman ME, Steen TA, Park N, Peterson C. Positive psychology progress: empirical validation of interventions. Am Psychol. 2005 Jul-Aug;60(5):410-21. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.60.5.410.
PubMed 16045394Profit J, Adair KC, Cui X, Mitchell B, Brandon D, Tawfik DS, Rigdon J, Gould JB, Lee HC, Timpson WL, McCaffrey MJ, Davis AS, Pammi M, Matthews M, Stark AR, Papile LA, Thomas E, Cotten M, Khan A, Sexton JB. Randomized controlled trial of the "WISER" intervention to reduce healthcare worker burnout. J Perinatol. 2021 Sep;41(9):2225-2234. doi: 10.1038/s41372-021-01100-y. Epub 2021 Aug 9.
PubMed 34366432Adair KC, Kennedy LA, Sexton JB. Three Good Tools: Positively reflecting backwards and forwards is associated with robust improvements in well-being across three distinct interventions. J Posit Psychol. 2020;15(5):613-622. doi: 10.1080/17439760.2020.1789707. Epub 2020 Jul 9.
PubMed 34295357Sexton JB, Adair KC, Cui X, Tawfik DS, Profit J. Effectiveness of a bite-sized web-based intervention to improve healthcare worker wellbeing: A randomized clinical trial of WISER. Front Public Health. 2022 Dec 8;10:1016407. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1016407. eCollection 2022.
PubMed 36568789Sexton JB, Adair KC. Well-Being Outcomes of Health Care Workers After a 5-Hour Continuing Education Intervention: The WELL-B Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Sep 3;7(9):e2434362. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.34362.
PubMed 39298170
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 8 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The WISER Study: Web Based Methods for Enhancing Resilience
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05636072
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Pro00063703
- Conditions
- Burnout
- Keywords
- Burnout, Well-being, Behavioral Health
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 8,000 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Duke UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Nov 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 5 Dec 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.
This is a research study to find out if web-based resilience tools can increase well-being.
Enrolled participants will try out one or more brief positive psychology tools. The tools ask participants to reflect on positive experiences or to do an activity (e.g., write a letter of gratitude). The study is entirely online and participants will be prompted to participate via email or text messages.
The study team is interested in the effects of the tools on stress, depression, and burnout in adults. A set of brief surveys are administered before and after using the tool, and again at follow-up periods (e.g., 1, 3, 6 and 12 months). Surveys are collected electronically using the secure, HIPAA-compliant survey software.
There is no direct benefit to participants for participating in this research study aside from the potential to experience improvements in well-being. Risks are minimal and include the potential to feel emotional or psychological distress when asked questions related to burnout.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Waitlist control group Randomized Control Design
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment Immediately | Experimental | Behavioral: WISERParticipants will engage in well-being tools immediately for 1-week. |
| Waitlist Control | No intervention | –Participants will wait 1 week to begin the well-being tools. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Adults 18 and over are considered eligible for the study. A sub-sample will include employees (including but not limited to frontline caregivers, support staff and management) of the Duke University Health System, as well as external health systems. All participants will be invited to participate in one or more of the online tools. The investigators will allow the participation of any clinical areas/healthcare worker groups whose leaders express interest in building resilience. The investigators are targeting healthcare workers for recruitment in the study, but adults 18+ are eligible to participate in any of these tools. Identification as a healthcare worker or not is part of data collection in every tool.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Adults who are not proficient in English, do not have basic computer skills, or who have prohibitive vision or hearing disabilities will be excluded from this study as they will be incapable of full participation in the intervention and/or the survey process.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| WISERParticipants will engage in one or more positive psychology well-being tool(s). | Behavioural | Treatment Immediately |
Primary outcome
Change in Emotional Exhaustion as measured by the 5-item Emotional Exhaustion Scale
Time frame: Baseline, Day 8, and 1, 6, and 12 month follow-ups
Survey scores are measured on a 1-5 Likert-like agreement scale.
2 secondary outcomes
Change in Emotional Recovery as measured by the 4-item Emotional Recovery Scale
Time frame: Baseline, Day 8, and 1, 6, and 12 month follow-ups
Change in Work-life Integration as measured by the 7-item Work-life Integration Scale
Time frame: Baseline, Day 8, and 1, 6, and 12 month follow-ups
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 8 Apr 2026.
- Background: PubMed 16045394Seligman ME, Steen TA, Park N, Peterson C. Positive psychology progress: empirical validation of interventions. Am Psychol. 2005 Jul-Aug;60(5):410-21. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.60.5.410.
- Background: PubMed 34366432Profit J, Adair KC, Cui X, Mitchell B, Brandon D, Tawfik DS, Rigdon J, Gould JB, Lee HC, Timpson WL, McCaffrey MJ, Davis AS, Pammi M, Matthews M, Stark AR, Papile LA, Thomas E, Cotten M, Khan A, Sexton JB. Randomized controlled trial of the "WISER" intervention to reduce healthcare worker burnout. J Perinatol. 2021 Sep;41(9):2225-2234. doi: 10.1038/s41372-021-01100-y. Epub 2021 Aug 9.
- Background: PubMed 34295357Adair KC, Kennedy LA, Sexton JB. Three Good Tools: Positively reflecting backwards and forwards is associated with robust improvements in well-being across three distinct interventions. J Posit Psychol. 2020;15(5):613-622. doi: 10.1080/17439760.2020.1789707. Epub 2020 Jul 9.
- Background: PubMed 36568789Sexton JB, Adair KC, Cui X, Tawfik DS, Profit J. Effectiveness of a bite-sized web-based intervention to improve healthcare worker wellbeing: A randomized clinical trial of WISER. Front Public Health. 2022 Dec 8;10:1016407. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1016407. eCollection 2022.
- Background: PubMed 39298170Sexton JB, Adair KC. Well-Being Outcomes of Health Care Workers After a 5-Hour Continuing Education Intervention: The WELL-B Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Sep 3;7(9):e2434362. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.34362.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Only the research team will be accessing the data.
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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.
John B Sexton, PhD principal investigator
Duke
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing WISER in people with Burnout, run by Duke University 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 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Apr 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. 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 John B Sexton, PhD (+1 919 681 4949, bryan.sexton@duke.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Emotional Exhaustion as measured by the 5-item Emotional Exhaustion Scale (time frame: Baseline, Day 8, and 1, 6, and 12 month follow-ups). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05636072, which also lists 5 linked publications.
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 8 Apr 2026.