Key result
Protocol evaluates 7-day continuous HRV monitoring to assess physician stress, recovery, and burnout.
Why the study?
Chronic workplace stress contributes to rising doctor burnout, but better understanding is needed by triangulating continuous heart rate variability measurements with self-report measures and qualitative data.
Observational (n=40)
Yes
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
HRV may objectively index physician stress; leaves open whether monitoring can reduce burnout or guide interventions.
INTRODUCTION: The medical profession is facing an unprecedented crisis. Reasons for this are complex and multifactorial; however, rising rates of burnout will undoubtedly contribute to problems with recruitment and retention. Chronic workplace stress, whereby there are insufficient resources available to meet the demands doctors face, is a contributor to burnout. There are a wide variety of available self-report measures for stress, with heart rate variability (HRV) shown to be a biomarker of stress and recovery in doctors. We aim to triangulate continuous HRV measurements with validated self-report measures and qualitative data to better understand the patterns of stress and recovery. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study has a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design. Participants will be recruited from multiple sites within National Health Service (NHS) Grampian. Initially, participants will complete a suite of validated scales, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Medical Personnel, the Resilience Scale for Adults and the Interpersonal, Community, Occupational, Physical, Psychological (ICOPPE) well-being scale. Following this, participants will undertake seven consecutive days of ecological momentary assessment of real-time demands, resources and fatigue, alongside 7 days of continuous ambulatory assessment of HRV via Firstbeat Bodyguard 3 chest-worn monitors. Participants will be provided with a summary report following their study period. If 40 participants are recruited within the recruitment timeframe, multilevel modelling will be used to analyse data; otherwise, N-of-1 statistical techniques will be used. Following initial analysis of the quantitative data, participants of interest will be invited to take part in semistructured interviews, which will be thematically analysed and presented alongside the quantitative data. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by the University of Aberdeen, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition ethics review board (ref. 3389193) and the NHS Grampian research and development team. Results will be disseminated in international peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT06721312.
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Kane et al. (2025) conducted an observational in Workplace stress and burnout (n=40). Continuous heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring was evaluated on Patterns of stress and recovery and their relationship with self-reported burnout, resilience and well-being. This study protocol describes a mixed-methods approach using 7-day continuous heart rate variability monitoring to assess stress, recovery, and burnout among doctors.
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