Study of Burnout Syndrome in ICU Healthcare Professionals Before and During the EPIC Tele-Palliative Care Program

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating burnout syndrome among healthcare professionals working in intensive care units ICUs through the EPIC Enhancing Palliative Care in ICU research. The study focuses on how a tele-palliative-care intervention combined with blended-learning modules affects clinician burnout and self-compassion over time. The study involves repeated surveys assessing workplace stressors, ethical dilemmas, burnout dimensions, and self-compassion among ICU doctors, nurses, and psychologists from 28 adult ICUs. Participants complete a detailed four-part survey twice once during usual care and again during the EPIC tele-palliative-care intervention phase. The survey includes demographic and professional information frequency of common ICU stressors and ethical challenges burnout assessments using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory and self-compassion levels using Neffs Self-Compassion Scale. Surveys are administered partly by secure email and partly during a facilitator-led online session. Throughout the study, participants provide data on their experiences, which researchers analyze to see changes in burnout and self-compassion scores. The primary outcomes include changes in burnout measured by the Maslach and Oldenburg Burnout Inventories over three years. Secondary outcomes include frequency of ICU stressors and moral dilemmas, burnout subscale scores, and self-compassion scores. The study ensures confidentiality and voluntary participation, with results helping to understand how telemedicine-enabled palliative care impacts clinician well-being.

Burnout Syndrome in the Intensive Care Unit Before and During a Palliative Care Trial