Feasibility study of an online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention to promote staff wellbeing in palliative care settings
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN14313559 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN14313559 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | CLPS021s |
- Submission date
- 14/07/2021
- Registration date
- 21/07/2021
- Last edited
- 08/02/2023
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Staff caring for people with a terminal illness commonly experience stress and distress. This can be due to general stresses that are frequent in healthcare settings such as unmanageable workloads, alongside regular exposure to death, loss and grief. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased numbers of healthcare workers experiencing mood and sleep disturbances, raising concerns about risks to mental health. Despite the prevalence of stress and distress amongst palliative care professionals, evidence-based psychological support is lacking. To address this, the aim of this study is to test an online psychological skills training intervention, based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, to help manage stress and improve the wellbeing of staff caring for terminally ill people.
Who can participate?
Healthcare professionals caring for people with a terminal illness, including doctors, nurses, allied healthcare professionals (e.g. occupational therapists and physiotherapists), healthcare assistants, and members of social work teams
What does the study involve?
Participants will complete an 8-week online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy course. This will consist of three facilitated classroom sessions and five self-directed learning modules focused on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Content will include mindfulness, openness, managing challenging thoughts, compassion, and values. Participants will have a workbook to support their learning and reflections; and will be invited to complete homework each week. The research team will collect data on participation numbers and drop-out to ascertain the level of interest in this form of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy training intervention and longer-term feasibility. The team will also collect data on stress, wellbeing, and burnout before, during and after the training to investigate whether there are any improvements over time. Focus groups and interviews will be conducted to explore what aspects of the intervention work well, and which aspects work less well, for healthcare professionals caring for people approaching the end of life.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
It is expected that participants will find the psychological skills training course enjoyable and informative, and it will provide them with some new approaches for dealing with stress and distress, improving their wellbeing at work and in their personal lives. It is unlikely that a participant will experience negative consequences because of participating in the study. However, if a participant reports feeling increased stress or distress, the course facilitators will discuss immediate concerns with them and will signpost them to additional resources and support as appropriate.
Where is the study run from?
University of Edinburgh (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
February 2021 to January 2022
Who is funding the study?
Marie Curie (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Anne Finucane
a.finucane@ed.ac.uk
Contact information
Public
Clinical Psychology
University of Edinburgh
Doorway 6, Medical School
Teviot Place
Edinburgh
EH8 9AG
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-3056-059X |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)131 651 3969 |
| a.finucane@ed.ac.uk |
Public
Clinical Psychology
University of Edinburgh
Doorway 6, Medical School
Teviot Place
Edinburgh
EH8 9AG
United Kingdom
| ORCID ID |
0000-0003-4071-4211 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)131 651 3946 |
| David.Gillanders@ed.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Single-arm feasibility trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised study |
| Study setting(s) | Other |
| Study type | Quality of life |
| Participant information sheet | 40167_PIS.docx |
| Scientific title | Research Evaluating Staff Training Online for Resilience (RESTORE): a single-arm feasibility study of an online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention to promote staff wellbeing in palliative care settings |
| Study acronym | RESTORE |
| Study hypothesis | To develop and feasibility test an online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention to reduce stress and enhance workplace wellbeing of staff working with terminally ill patients and their families. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 20/05/2021, the Clinical Psychology Research Ethics Committee at the University of Edinburgh (Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, UK; +44 (0)131 651 3969; ethics.hiss@ed.ac.uk), ref: CLPS021s |
| Condition | Prevention of stress and burnout in hospice staff |
| Intervention | Location The intervention will run online via Microsoft (MS) Teams. Participants will be able to join from their usual workplace or home setting. Online platform MS Teams will be used as the training platform, as this supports a range of media, enables chat and is used widely within health and social care organisations. An MS Teams Channel will be established for the intervention, and all intervention materials made available via the channel. Participants will be invited to access the channel in advance of the first session, and individual support, as well as printed resources, will be provided. Content Intervention content will include values clarification, developing awareness and openness, unhooking from challenging thoughts and compassion. Facilitation This blended learning course will be led by Dr David Gillanders, Head of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Edinburgh, and facilitated by Dr Anne Finucane. Intervention format and content There will be eight modules delivered via MS Teams. Delivery will be via three virtual classroom sessions and five self-directed e-learning modules. The three virtual classroom modules will be interactive sessions. The five e-learning modules will be self-directed and will consist of online reading materials, pre-recorded videos, and reflective exercises. Throughout the course, participants will be encouraged to share experiences with each other and ask questions or seek clarification via the online chat function within MS Teams. Participants will receive a workbook to help them progress through the training. Homework Participants will be invited to complete ‘homework’ between each online module to reflect further on the processes discussed and how they relate to themselves and their work. Homework will be brief and non-obligatory. Examples of homework would include, for example, practicing brief mindfulness exercises or exercises to enhance compassionate responses. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | 1. Recruitment rate, recorded as the number of eligible participants who consented to participate in the study during the 3-month recruitment period 2. Retention rate, recorded as the number of participants who remained in the study until the end of follow up period (i.e. completed Q3 questionnaires) 3. Qualitative data regarding feasibility, collected via focus groups approximately 1 month following the completion of the intervention. The researchers will invite those who drop out to a brief interview to understands their reasons for drop-out. |
| Secondary outcome measures | Assessed prospectively, via online questionnaire, at four timepoints (pre-intervention; mid-way through the intervention; on completion of the intervention; and 1 month post-intervention): 1. Stress assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) 2. Workplace quality of life assessed by the Professional Quality of Life scale (ProQol) 3. Wellbeing assessed using the Edinburgh Warwick Mental Wellbeing Scale 4. Healthcare professional experience assessed by the Mindful Healthcare Scale 5. Psychological flexibility assessed by the CompACT 6. Participants' perceptions of the training and its usefulness collected via focus groups and interviews approximately 1 month following completion of the intervention |
| Overall study start date | 01/02/2021 |
| Overall study end date | 31/01/2022 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Health professional |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 30 |
| Total final enrolment | 28 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | 1. Nursing and medical staff, allied health professionals, social workers, and healthcare assistants 2. Employed by Marie Curie Hospice or Nursing services in Scotland |
| Participant exclusion criteria | 1. Staff with prior training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy |
| Recruitment start date | 09/06/2021 |
| Recruitment end date | 20/08/2021 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Scotland
- United Kingdom
Study participating centres
Edinburgh
EH10 7DR
United Kingdom
Glasgow
G21 3US
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Governance Office
55 George Square
Edinburgh
EH8 9JU
Scotland
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)131 650 1000 |
|---|---|
| charlotte.smith@ed.ac.uk | |
| Website | http://www.ed.ac.uk/home |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/01nrxwf90 |
Funders
Funder type
Charity
Private sector organisation / Other non-profit organizations
- Alternative name(s)
- Marie Curie Cancer Care
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 31/03/2023 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Data sharing statement to be made available at a later date |
| Publication and dissemination plan | The protocol is being submitted for publication. Research findings will be disseminated via publication in an open-access academic journal, a report for the funder, social media (subsequent to academic publication), and conference presentations. To accelerate dissemination, the researchers will share study findings on a pre-print server (e.g. Medrxiv) at the same time as they submit to a journal. |
| IPD sharing plan | The data-sharing plans for the current study are unknown and will be made available at a later date. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | 15/07/2021 | No | Yes | ||
| Other files | SPIRIT Checklist | 10/11/2021 | No | No | |
| Protocol article | 18/11/2021 | 31/01/2022 | Yes | No | |
| Other files | Restore Workbook | 28/02/2022 | No | No | |
| Other files | Online intervention manual | 07/06/2022 | No | No | |
| Results article | Results | 28/12/2023 | 08/02/2023 | Yes | No |
Additional files
- 40167_PIS.docx
- Uploaded 15/07/2021
- ISRCTN14313559 SPIRIT-Checklist-COMPLETE.doc
- SPIRIT Checklist
- 40167_Workbook.pdf
- Restore Workbook
- 40167 RESTORE Online Intervention Manual.pdf
- Online intervention manual
Editorial Notes
08/02/2023: Publication reference added.
07/06/2022: The Online Intervention Manual was uploaded as an additional file.
28/02/2022: The Restore Workbook was uploaded as an additional file.
31/01/2022: Publication reference added.
10/11/2021: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The recruitment end date was changed from 08/09/2021 to 20/08/2021.
2. Total final enrolment added.
3. SPIRIT checklist uploaded.
15/07/2021: Trial's existence confirmed by the University of Edinburgh.
