Impact of an Online Group-Coaching Program on Ambulatory Faculty Physician Well-Being: A Randomized Trial.

Abstract

Background: Physician burnout contributes to distress, turnover, and poor patient outcomes. Evidence suggests individual professional coaching may mitigate burnout but is costly and time intensive. Group coaching evidence is lacking. Here, we assess a group coaching program in ambulatory-based faculty.

Methods: A randomized trial occurred from February 1, 2023, to May 31, 2023, in 5 ambulatory and/or primary care-based departments at an academic institution. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention (offered a 4-month, online, group coaching) or to a control group (not offered coaching). Surveys measuring validated dimensions of distress (burnout, impostor syndrome, moral injury, loneliness) and well-being (self-compassion, flourishing) were administered before and after the intervention. A linear mixed model analysis was performed on an intent-to-treat basis.

Results: Among 160 participants, the mean (SD) age was 42.0 (8.4), 131 (81.9%) identified as female, and 135 (85.4%) as White. Group coaching improved intervention participants' burnout domain of depersonalization (δ: -1.72 points [CI: -3.26, -0.17]; P = .03), impostor syndrome (δ: -0.82 points [95% CI: -1.47, -0.18, P = .01), and flourishing (0.35 points (95% CI: 0.03, 0.66), P = .03) compared with the control. There were no significant differences in the other domains of burnout, or moral injury, loneliness, or self-compassion.

Discussion: Four months of group-coaching improved some well-being outcomes in ambulatory-based clinicians. The intervention may be particularly useful given its accessibility, and online delivery supports greater scalability and lower cost than individual coaching.

Conclusion: Group coaching is an institutionally provided, individually harnessed tool to heal physician burnout.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05635448.