Recruitment, retention and recouperation: lessons learned from a study aimed at assessing burnout mitigation in physician learners

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) compared to virtual body mapping (VBM) on reducing burnout symptoms. The recruitment and data collection for this study took place between May 2023 – May 2024. PLs were randomized into either ACT or VBM. Baseline and post-intervention measures included the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI tx-1), Centers of Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II). Descriptive statistics were calculated. Of 58 enrolled participants, 13 completed the study (23% completion). Descriptive results suggest that PLs in ACT saw improvement in the average scores for STAI tx-1, CES-D, and AAQ-II. PLs in VBM saw improvement in the average score for the MBI, PSS-10, STAI, CES-D, BRCS, and AAQ-II. Barriers to recruitment and retention affected the study’s success, resulting in modifications to the recruitment strategy, study protocol, and data analysis. Insights from this study offer researchers an opportunity to improve the design of future work involving PLs. Studies involving PLs should consider integrating participation into clinical schedules and ensuring funding to support recruitment and retention.