“WISER” intervention to reduce healthcare worker burnout – 1 year follow up

OBJECTIVE: Test sustainability of Web-based Implementation for the Science of Enhancing Resilience (WISER) intervention efficacy in reducing healthcare worker (HCW) emotional exhaustion (EE), a key component of burnout. DESIGN: One-year follow-up of WISER RCT using two cohorts (one waitlist control with shortened intervention period) of HCWs of four NICUs each, to improve HCW well-being (primary outcome: EE). RESULTS: In Cohorts 1 and 2, 194 and 312 WISER initiators were identified by 1-year, and 99 and 80 completed 1-year follow-up, respectively. Combined cohort results showed that relative to baseline, at 1-year WISER decreased EE (−7.07 (95% CI: −10.22, −3.92), p<0.001), depression (−4.49 (−6.81, −2.16), p<0.001), and improved work-life integration (6.08 (4.25, 7.90), p<0.001). EE continued to decline between 6-month and 1-year follow-up (p=0.022). The percentage of HCWs reporting concerning outcomes was significantly decreased for EE (−10.9% (95% CI: −17.9%, −4.9%); p<0.001), and secondary outcomes depression and work-life integration. CONCLUSION: WISER improves HCW well-being for at least 1 year. CLINICAL TRIALS NUMBER: NCT02603133; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02603133

Jochen Profit, Xin Cui, Daniel Tawfik, Kathryn C. Adair, J. Bryan Sexton