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Effectiveness of interventions to reduce emergency department staff occupational stress and/or burnout: a systematic review.

JBI evidence synthesis
June 1, 2020
Hui Grace Xu et al. (4 authors)
Journal ArticleMeta-AnalysisSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in reducing occupational stress and/or burnout among emergency department staff.

Results Summary

Three of the four studies on mindfulness-based interventions reported reduced stress levels, but a meta-analysis of two studies showed a non-significant difference in stress between mindfulness and control groups.

Population

Health personnel working in emergency departments.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (6)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
educational-style interventions
decrease
stress and/or burnout
staff working in emergency departments
-
reported a statistically significant reduction
#1
mindfulness-based interventions
decrease
stress levels
staff working in emergency departments
-
reported reduced stress levels
#2
mindfulness-based interventions
no change
stress
-
SMD = -0.32, 95% CI -0.84 to 0.20, P = 0.23
demonstrated a non-significant difference
#3
organizational-based interventions
decrease
stress levels
staff working in emergency departments
-
reduce stress levels
#4
organizational-based interventions
increase
burnout
staff working in emergency departments
-
increase burnout
#5
individual-focused interventions, including both educational interventions and mindfulness-based interventions
decrease
occupational stress and/or burnout
staff working in emergency departments
-
have the potential to reduce
#6
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review was to synthesize the best evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to reduce occupational stress and/or burnout in the emergency department. INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of occupational stress and burnout among busy emergency department staff requires urgent attention. This review summarizes the current evidence to provide recommendations on interventions to reduce occupational stress in the emergency department. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies reporting on all health personnel working in emergency departments were included in the review. Any individual-focused or organizational-directed intervention was considered. Both published and unpublished studies including experimental and quasi-experimental studies were considered for inclusion in the review. The outcomes of interest included occupational stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression. METHODS: A three-step search strategy was utilized to search seven databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science) and five gray literature resources (MedNar, Google Scholar, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Conference Proceedings). The search was limited to papers published in English between January 1, 2008, and February 1, 2019. Titles and abstracts of the studies were screened. Two reviewers independently appraised the full text of selected studies and extracted data using standardized tools from JBI. Where possible, data were pooled in statistical meta-analysis. Effect sizes were expressed as standardized mean differences, and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 14 studies were included in the systematic review. Sample sizes of the included studies ranged from 14 to 392 participants. Of the included studies, four were randomized controlled trials and 10 were quasi-experimental studies. The overall quality of the included studies was compromised due to lack of true randomization, concealment, blinding, or the use of a single-group without a comparator. Educational-style interventions were investigated in six included studies and mindfulness-based interventions in four studies. The remaining four studies investigated organizational-directed interventions that incorporated a variety of strategies. The top three most commonly used tools were the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Professional Quality of Life Scale. The studies that investigated educational interventions reported a statistically significant reduction in both stress and/or burnout. Three of the four studies that investigated mindfulness-based interventions reported reduced stress levels. A fixed-effects meta-analysis of two of the studies demonstrated a non-significant difference in stress between groups receiving mindfulness-based interventions and those who did not (n = 58, SMD = -0.32, 95% CI -0.84 to 0.20, P = 0.23; heterogeneity: x = 0.01, P = 0.93, I = 0%). Organizational-based interventions were found to reduce stress levels but increase burnout. CONCLUSIONS: Individual-focused interventions, including both educational interventions and mindfulness-based interventions, have the potential to reduce occupational stress and/or burnout for staff working in emergency departments. However, inconsistencies in reporting and outcome measurements impact certainty of results. More high-quality randomized controlled trials are recommended with larger sample sizes as well as measurement of long-term effects to improve knowledge in this field.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AnxietyBurnout, PsychologicalEmergency Service, HospitalHumansOccupational StressQuality of Life
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy65/10
Quality70/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations37
Citations/Year7.4
Relative Citation Ratio4.22
NIH Percentile90.9%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score2.35
Normalized Score0.60
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