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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03759795

Bournemouth University Resilience Training for Surgeons

The challenges that characterise surgical practice may result in a myriad of stressors that impact upon the personal and professional lives of surgeons. This includes a high likelihood that surgeons will have to deal with adverse patient outcomes due to surgical complications and errors, sometime during their careers. Such stressors can have undesirable effects on the surgeon in terms of quality of life and psychological well-being (e.g. anxiety, feelings of regret), as well as lowered professional confidence and impaired perceptions of professional competence. Furthermore, there is evidence that these kinds of negative impacts can also lead to burnout and depression. As well as the detrimental effects on surgeons and those around them, this in turn may lead to more errors and poorer outcomes for patients. This study will examine the efficacy of an ACT based training intervention to enhance resilience and psychological flexibility.

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Key information

Conditions

Effect of Training

Age range

21 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bournemouth, United Kingdom

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About this study

Research in a range of occupational settings has indicated that resilience plays an important role in ameliorating the impact of adverse events in high pressure environments. This project will use a randomised controlled trial research design to assess the efficacy of brief one-to-one Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACTr), designed to enhance surgeons' psychological resilience. According to the model ACTr is based on, psychopathology is primarily the consequence of psychological inflexibility i.e. inability to persist or change behaviour according to long-term values due to language and cognition skills, which has particular significance when an individual is confronted with stress or adversity.

The main aim of this research is to assess the efficacy of a brief one-to-one Acceptance and Commitment Training course. Researchers wish to ascertain whether such a course can increase surgeons' resilience by increasing psychological flexibility, valuing and self-compassion (all of which are expected to be positively impacted by this training). This research will fill a gap in the relevant research literature; namely that no research project as far as we are aware has evaluated ACTr as a means to enhance resilience in surgeons. In fact any research conducted on resilience training with a surgical population is rare.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Trainee surgeons and consultant surgeons

Exclusion criteria

None

Treatment and study plan

ACTr (Acceptance and Commitment Training)

Behavioral

The programme is based on Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), a contemporary, empirically supported approach to psychological well-being.

Primary outcomes

  1. Resilience - Brief Resilience Scale (BRS)

    Time frame: 20 weeks

    A self-report measure of psychological resilience. Higher values represent a better outcome.

  2. General Health - General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).

    Time frame: 20 weeks

    A self reported measure of minor psychological symptomology in a non-clinical population.

Secondary outcomes

  1. CBI (Copenhagen Burnout Inventory)

    Time frame: 20 weeks

    A self-report measure of vulnerability to burnout. Lower values represent a better outcome.

  2. DASS21 (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale)

    Time frame: 20 weeks

    A self-report measure of depression, stress and anxiety. Lower values represent a better outcome.

  3. VLQ (Value Living Questionnaire)

    Time frame: 20 weeks

    A self-report measure of valuing. Higher values represent a better outcome.

  4. WAAQ (Work related Acceptance and Action Questionnaire)

    Time frame: 20 weeks

    A self-report measure of work related psychological flexibility. Higher values represent a better outcome.

  5. AAQII (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire)

    Time frame: 20 weeks

    A self-report measure of general psychological inflexibility. Lower values represent a better outcome.

  6. SCS (Self Compassion Scale)

    Time frame: 20 weeks

    A self-report measure of self compassion. Higher values represent a better outcome.

  7. SPS (Sense of Preparedness Scale)

    Time frame: 20 weeks

    A self-report measure of preparedness for potential future events. Higher values represent a better outcome.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Bournemouth University

Other

Collaborators

  • Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Registry information

Official study title

Ameliorating the Impact of Complications and Errors on Surgeons: Resilience Training for Surgeons.

Acronym: BURTS

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2022
First posted
Nov 30, 2018
Registry last updated
Mar 2, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

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This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.