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NCT Number: NCT06246539

Impact of a Virtual Reality-based Mindfulness Program on Clinician Wellness

Burnout shares symptoms with anxiety and depression. While there is no single intervention for burnout, there are validated interventions (which are amenable to virtual reality (VR)) for anxiety and depression. UMassMemorial data from the Professional Well-Being Academic Consortium show that MD burnout and distress has increased since 2020. The investigators believe providing clinicians with a unique tool (VR) will be a feasible and efficacious way to tackle distress. It is known that only 1% of our MDs have done mindfulness training but nearly 50% are interested in doing so. Therefore, a self-administrable, interactive mindfulness program delivered over VR has great potential to reach clinicians who want to practice a more active form of mindfulness at a time convenient to them. The results of the study will provide preliminary evidence to determine if a take-home VR mindfulness program decreases clinician stress.

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Key information

Conditions

Wellness, Psychological Behavior Personal Satisfaction Psychological Well-Being

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

UMassMemorial Health Care

Worcester, Massachusetts, 01655-0002, United States

About this study

Cohorts 1 will be the intervention group Cohorts 2 will be the controls. Study endpoints include results from the following questionnaires:

  • PROMIS - Short Form Anxiety (8 questions)
  • PROMIS - Short Form Depression (8 questions)
  • Perceived Stress Scale (10 questions)
  • Connor-Davidson Brief Resilience Scale (10 questions)
  • System Usability Scale (10 questions)

The intervention is a 12-week mindfulness-based VR intervention.

Cohort 1 will complete the questionnaires 1-4 at baseline (just before the intervention). They will be sent twice weekly reminders to use the VR for the duration of the 12-week intervention. After 12 weeks Cohort 1 will retake questionnaires 1-4 and take questionnaire 5, while Cohort 2 will then take questionnaires 1-4 and be provided the VR headsets. After another 12 weeks, Cohort 1 will take questionnaires 1-4 and be done with the study, while Cohort 2 will take questionnaires 1-5. After 12 more weeks, Cohort 2 will take questionnaires 1-4 and be done with the study.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • physician or APP employed by the Medical Group

Exclusion criteria

  • Not willing to receive 2 texts per week

Treatment and study plan

VR mindfulness

Behavioral

VR-based mindfulness

Primary outcomes

  1. PROMIS - anxiety

    Time frame: at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the intervention group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

    PROMIS Short Form - anxiety scale. Scores of 8-40; Higher is a worse outcome.

  2. PROMIS - anxiety

    Time frame: at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the control group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

    PROMIS Short Form - anxiety scale. Scores of 8-40; Higher is a worse outcome.

  3. PROMIS - Depression

    Time frame: at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the intervention group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

    PROMIS Short Form - Depression scale. Scores of 8-40; Higher is a worse outcome.

  4. PROMIS - Depression

    Time frame: at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the control group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

    PROMIS Short Form - Depression scale. Scores of 8-40; Higher is a worse outcome.

  5. Resiliency

    Time frame: at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the intervention group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

    Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale. Scores of 0-40; Higher score is better.

  6. Resiliency

    Time frame: at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the control group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

    Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale. Scores of 0-40; Higher score is better.

  7. Stress scale

    Time frame: at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the intervention group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

    Perceived Stress Score. Scores of 0-40; Higher score is worse.

  8. Stress scale

    Time frame: at baseline, after 12 weeks, then after another 12 weeks. We will compare results of the control group at 12 and 24 weeks to their baseline.

    Perceived Stress Score. Scores of 0-40; Higher score is worse.

  9. Usability

    Time frame: after 12 weeks we will dertermine the usability of the VR intervention in the intervention group

    Usability scale. Scores of 10-50; Higher score is better.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Steven Bird, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

508-421-1422

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Massachusetts, Worcester

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2028
First posted
Feb 7, 2024
Registry last updated
Mar 13, 2026

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

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

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.

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