Effect of a Life Coaching Intervention on the Well-being and Distress of Physicians

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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There is a widespread epidemic of distress and burnout (i.e., extreme distress) among Canadian physicians. Burnout is costly to physicians, patients, and healthcare organizations as it compromises physicians' own health and reduces their capacity to deliver high quality, safe care to patients. Life coaching delivered by certified coaches is a personal development tool. Life coaching has been proven to help individuals maximize their strengths and skills to handle stressors, regain control over their lives, act according to their core values, and achieve their full potential, consequently reducing their vulnerability to burnout. The investigators will evaluate life coaching for physicians' well-being in the current Canadian context. Physicians from centres in Canada will be randomly assigned to life coaching (intervention) or no coaching (control) group. The coaching group will receive a 1-hour initial coaching session followed by five 30-minute coaching sessions occurring at a frequency of every 2 to 3 weeks within 5 months (total of 3.5 coaching hours). All coaching sessions will be delivered virtually by certified life coaches. The investigators will assess the impact of coaching on physician distress and quality of life before and after the intervention.

Official Title
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Effect of a Life Coaching Intervention on the Well-being and Distress of Physicians: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Conditions
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Distress, Emotional, Burnout

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Life Coaching


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Registered staff physician, resident, or fellow Currently practicing in Canada (For the 'Francophone minority patients' group only) Sometimes conducts thorough consultations completely in French for French-speaking patients outside Quebec Exclusion Criteria: Previously received life coaching in the last 5 years Currently receiving psychotherapy

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Coaching<br>Participants randomized to the coaching group will receive a 1-hour initial professional coaching session followed by five 30-minute professional coaching sessions occurring at a goal frequency of every 2 to 3 weeks within 5 months (total of 3.5 coaching hours). All coaching sessions will be conducted individually (i.e. between one coach and one participant). Participants will be able to request coaching on any topic to individualize the intervention, but the general structure of the sessions will be standardized across participants. All coaching sessions will be performed over the phone or virtual web meeting as standard in coaching practices. | Behavioral: Life Coaching<br>* Sessions with a professional life coach.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control<br>Participants randomized to the control group will receive no intervention but will be asked to complete the distress and wellness survey at the same time points as participants in the intervention group. Participants in the control group will receive the life coaching intervention after the statistical analysis is completed. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Quality of Life score at 5 months | Assessed using the reduced version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), one of the most widely used questionnaires for assessing adult QOL, including among healthcare professionals. | 5 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Burnout score at 5 months | Measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Minimum score 0, maximum score 132. A higher score is worse, i.e., more burnout. | 5 months | 
| Change in Resilience score at 5 months | Measured using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Sale. Minimum score 0, maximum score 100. A higher score is better, i.e., more resilience. | 5 months | 
| Change in Job Satisfaction score at 5 months | Measured using the Global Job Satisfaction subscale of the Physician Job Satisfaction Scale. Minimum score 12, maximum score 60. A higher score is better, i.e., more satisfied. | 5 months | 
| Change in Job Engagement score at 5 months | Measured using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Minimum score 0, maximum score 102. A higher score is better, i.e., better engagement. | 5 months | 
| Change in Job Empowerment and Meaning score at 5 months | Measured using the Empowerment at Work Scale. Minimum score is 12, maximum score is 84. A higher score is better, i.e., higher empowerment. | Baseline and 5 months | 
| Absence from work due to mental or physical illness | Measured as the number of days reported by participants. | Baseline | 
| Absence from work due to mental or physical illness | Measured as the number of days reported by participants. | 5 months |