The potential of narrative-based medicine interventions targeting hospital practitioner burnout: findings from a scoping review.

Purpose: To map the empirical literature with regards to narrative-based medicine interventions targeting burnout in hospital-based practitioners.

Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases (n = 6) and manual searches was conducted informed by the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review guidelines. Papers were independently screened for quality. Semi-structured interviews were held with practitioners to further explore the acceptability and feasibility of the interventions from the review.

Results: The searches yielded 4,439 articles. Following screening by title and abstract, 73 papers remained for full-text review. Six papers were included in the final analysis. Gaps were noted in relation to reporting of intervention details, and of implementation considerations across the dataset. Narrative interventions were considered acceptable by stakeholders but significant issues of compatibility and feasibility were identified.

Conclusions: Narrative-based interventions are complex and warrant a systematic research approach. Addressing factors related to implementation in addition to mechanisms of action is essential to progress this promising interdisciplinary knowledge base.