Do biofeedback-based interventions improve psychological and physiological outcomes in adult healthcare workers exposed to work-related stress?
Biofeedback represents a feasible and potentially effective strategy for mitigating occupational stress and enhancing psychophysiological well-being in healthcare professionals, though higher-quality trials are needed.
Background/objectives: Healthcare professionals are routinely exposed to high psychosocial and physiological demands, placing them at elevated risk for stress-related disorders, including burnout, anxiety, and impaired autonomic regulation. Biofeedback has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological approach to enhance self-regulation and resilience. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of biofeedback-based interventions in improving psychological and physiological outcomes among healthcare workers. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, PsycINFO, and grey literature (December 2023-January 2024), following PRISMA guidelines and a registered PROSPERO protocol (CRD42024544687). Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and pre-post studies involving adult healthcare workers exposed to work-related stress. Primary outcomes comprised stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, resilience, and physiological indices such as heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rate, and skin conductance. Data were synthesized narratively due to methodological heterogeneity. Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. HRV-biofeedback and respiratory sinus arrhythmia training demonstrated. Results: consistent improvements in perceived stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, emotional regulation, and resilience. Physiological benefits included increased HRV, decreased sympathetic arousal, and improved autonomic balance. Interventions integrating breathing or mindfulness techniques exhibited the strongest effects. However, non-randomized designs and small samples limited the robustness of findings. Discussion/Conclusions: Biofeedback represents a feasible and potentially effective strategy for mitigating occupational stress and enhancing psychophysiological well-being in healthcare professionals. Despite promising results, evidence remains preliminary due to heterogeneity, limited methodological rigor, and scarce long-term follow-up. Future large-scale randomized trials with standardized protocols are needed to strengthen the evidence base and support implementation in occupational health settings. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024544687.
Cantone et al. (Mon,) studied this question.