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. 2023 Feb 2:10:23333928221148079.
doi: 10.1177/23333928221148079. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.

Communication Training Helps to Reduce Burnout During COVID-19 Pandemic

Katey Wert  1 , Angela M Donaldson  2 , Tri A Dinh  3 , Daniel P Montero  4 , Rebecca Parry  5 , J Ross Renew  6 , Daniel S Yip  7 , Leigh Speicher  8
Affiliations

Communication Training Helps to Reduce Burnout During COVID-19 Pandemic

Katey Wert et al. Health Serv Res Manag Epidemiol. .

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of communication training and its impact on burnout among healthcare providers (physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners), in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of communication training on burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers participating in a Communication in Healthcare (CIH) module between October 31, 2019, through February 20, 2020, were identified using a scanned sign-in sheet. A 3-question online survey regarding the utilization of communication skills during the COVID-19 pandemic was sent via email. An ordinal scale was used to rate the effectiveness of the training on subsequent burnout and work satisfaction during the pandemic.

Results: Of the 98 surveys distributed via email, a total of 33 participants completed the survey. Seventy-three percent of respondents agreed that communication training helped prevent burnout, and 39% strongly agreed that the modules improved work satisfaction.

Conclusion: Our study found communication training was effective in reducing burnout in healthcare providers, in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants felt the communication tools learned from the training modules were useful in improving work satisfaction and communication with patients during the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; burnout; communication; training.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Survey questions used to assess effectiveness of communication in healthcare training on reducing burnout during COVID-19.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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