BurnoutHEART-EDNCT06721312
Continuous Heart Rate Variability Monitoring in Doctors; Understanding Patterns of Stress and Recovery and Their Relationship With Self-reported Resilience, Burnout and Wellbeing.
An observational study of Burnout and Burnout Syndrome, run by University of Aberdeen at 1 site in United Kingdom.
Trial summary
Burnout is an increasing concern in the medical professions. This study aims to utilise established, validated self-report measures combined with continuous heart rate variability measurements to better understand the stress and recovery patterns experienced by doctors that may contribute to burnout. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Burnout, Burnout Syndrome, Occupational Stress
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited Kingdom
- Study dates
- 9 Dec 2024to 31 Aug 2026
- Phase
- Observational
- 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 Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: Medical Doctors working within NHS Grampian
Who may be able to join
- Working within NHS Grampian
- Access to a smartphone
Who cannot join
- Cardiac arrhythmias/endocrine disease.
- Prescription beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, benzodiazepines, antidepressants and antianxiety medications.
- Insufficient non-working time prior to study commencement.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Burnout is an increasing concern in the medical professions. This study aims to utilise established, validated self-report measures combined with continuous heart rate variability measurements to better understand the stress and recovery patterns experienced by doctors that may contribute to burnout.
This mixed methods study design will consist of an ecological momentary assessment phase where participants will complete commonly used and validated real-time subjective measures while concurrently wearing a heart rate variability monitor to provide an objective measure of stress. Following on from this, participants of interest will be invited to participate in semi structured interviews to further explore their experiences of stress and recovery.
- Conditions
- Burnout, Burnout Syndrome, Occupational Stress, Stress
- Keywords
- Heart rate variability, HRV, occupational stress, resilience, fatigue, wellbeing, stress, burnout
- Medical subject headings
- Burnout, Psychological, Occupational Stress, Fatigue
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Heart rate variability
Continuous heart rate variability over 7 day study period
Measured: 7 days
Secondary outcomes (4)
Burnout
Maslach Burnout Inventory -
22 item scale measuring occupational burnout. Each item asks participants to rank on a scale from never to every day. An overall score is then calculated from the results.
Measured: Measured on day 1
Resilience
Resilience Scale for Adults The RSA is a 33-item self-report scale examining intrapersonal and interpersonal factors presumed to assist them to be able to adapt to adversities. Responses are provided via 5-point Likert scale.
Measured: Measured on day 1
Wellbeing
ICOPPE Wellbeing Scale The I-COPPE scale(21) has 6 individual domains of interpersonal, community, occupational, physical, psychological, and economic - all of which have been individually validated against overall wellbeing. The scale asks participants to rate each of the wellbeing domains at three different time points, now, one year previously and one year in the future totalling 21 items.
Measured: Measured on day 1
EMA Measures
Real-Time Job Demands NASA task load index (NASA TLX) is a multidimensional workload assessment tool. It contains six subscales of mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration. The overall workload is derived from an average of the six subscales listed.
Real-Time Job Resources This is a six-item scale derived from the job-demands resources model of burnout. The items contained within the scale are feedback, rewards, job control, participation, job security and supervisor support.
Flow Included is a single item question asking participants "have you felt completely absorbed by a challenging but doable task". Given the paucity of literature understanding what "flow" might mean within this study population and how this may relate to HRV there is a free text box allowing participants to expand on their experience.
Fatigue The Rating of Fatigue (ROF) scale(59)is a single-item visual analogue scale.
Measured: 8 times/day for 7 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Dec 2024
- Study start9 Dec 2024
- Primary completion31 Oct 2025
- Study completion31 Aug 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for BurnoutStudies 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
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Aberdeen
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06721312
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2-015-24
- Acronym
- HEART-ED
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 3 Dec 2024
- Last updated
- 9 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Kane L, Ball D, Martin KR, Powell D. Continuous heart rate variability monitoring-understanding patterns of stress and recovery and their relationship with self-reported burnout, resilience and well-being in doctors: a protocol for a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study. BMJ Open. 2025 Jun 8;15(6):e097849. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-097849.
PubMed 40484420
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 9 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Continuous Heart Rate Variability Monitoring in Doctors; Understanding Patterns of Stress and Recovery and Their Relationship With Self-reported Resilience, Burnout and Wellbeing.
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06721312
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- HEART-ED / 2-015-24
- Conditions
- Burnout, Burnout Syndrome, Occupational Stress, Stress
- Keywords
- Heart rate variability, HRV, occupational stress, resilience, fatigue, wellbeing, stress, burnout
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of AberdeenUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 9 Dec 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Aug 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 6 Dec 2024 (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.
Burnout is an increasing concern in the medical professions. This study aims to utilise established, validated self-report measures combined with continuous heart rate variability measurements to better understand the stress and recovery patterns experienced by doctors that may contribute to burnout.
This mixed methods study design will consist of an ecological momentary assessment phase where participants will complete commonly used and validated real-time subjective measures while concurrently wearing a heart rate variability monitor to provide an objective measure of stress. Following on from this, participants of interest will be invited to participate in semi structured interviews to further explore their experiences of stress and recovery.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Medical Doctors working within NHS Grampian
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Working within NHS Grampian
- Access to a smartphone
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Cardiac arrhythmias/endocrine disease.
- Prescription beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, benzodiazepines, antidepressants and antianxiety medications.
- Insufficient non-working time prior to study commencement.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Heart rate variability
Time frame: 7 days
Continuous heart rate variability over 7 day study period
4 secondary outcomes
Burnout
Time frame: Measured on day 1
Resilience
Time frame: Measured on day 1
Wellbeing
Time frame: Measured on day 1
EMA Measures
Time frame: 8 times/day for 7 days
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 9 Sep 2026.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 40484420Kane L, Ball D, Martin KR, Powell D. Continuous heart rate variability monitoring-understanding patterns of stress and recovery and their relationship with self-reported burnout, resilience and well-being in doctors: a protocol for a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study. BMJ Open. 2025 Jun 8;15(6):e097849. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-097849.
- 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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Burnout and Burnout Syndrome, run by University of Aberdeen at 1 site in United Kingdom.
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 3 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 9 Sep 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 Kingdom. 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?
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?
Heart rate variability (time frame: 7 days). 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 NCT06721312, which also lists 1 linked publication.
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 9 Sep 2026.