FIRECARE: An Evidence-Based Prevention Program to Reduce Burnout among Prehospital Caregivers: Benefits of a Combined Mindfulness, Heart Coherence Training, and Positive Psychology Intervention.
Louise Giaume, Adrien Jimenez, Romain Kedzierewicz, Daniel Jost, Marie Pery, Julien Trouvé, Guillaume Burlaton, Stéphane Travers, Bertrand Prunet, Marion Trousselard
Prehospital emergency care 2024 DOI: 10.1080/10903127.2023.2258204 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Non-randomized two-group quasi-experimental study with waitlist control and before-and-after measurements Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 74 |
| Population | Advanced life support ambulance staff of the Paris Fire Brigade |
| Duration | Six once-weekly 2.5-hour sessions with individual daily meditation and cardiac coherence practice; 3-month follow-up |
| Measures | ProQOL-5, FMI |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The FIRECARE program was associated with decreased burnout scores in the baseline burnout cluster compared with waitlist controls, and secondary stress fell only in the intervention group while rising in the waitlist group. Burnout also decreased from before to after the intervention in both groups, and at 3-month follow-up burnout remained reduced with increased acceptance and mindfulness scores. The authors propose FIRECARE may be useful for preventing and reducing burnout among prehospital caregivers. |
Abstract
Burnout among emergency health care professionals is well-described, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prevention interventions, such as mindfulness, focus on the management of stress. To evaluate the effects of the FIRECARE program (a mindfulness intervention, supplemented by heart coherence training and positive psychology workshops) on burnout, secondary stress, compassion fatigue, and mindfulness among advanced life support ambulance staff of the Paris Fire Brigade. We used a non-randomized, two-group quasi-experimental study design with a waitlist control and before-and-after measurements in each group. The intervention consisted of six, once-weekly, 2.5-h sessions that included individual daily meditation and cardiac coherence practice. The study compared intervention and waitlist control groups, and investigated baseline, post-program, and 3-month follow-up change on burnout (measuring using the ProQOL-5 scale) and mindfulness (measuring using the FMI scores). Baseline burnout (measured using the ProQOL-5) was evaluated and used in the analysis. Seventy-four 74 participants volunteered to participate; 66 were included in the final analysis. Of these, 60% were classified as suffering from moderate burnout, the 'burnout cluster'. A comparison of intervention and waitlist control groups found a decrease in the burnout score in the burnout cluster (p = 0.0003; partial eta squared = 0.18). However, while secondary stress fell among the burnout cluster, it was only for participants in the intervention group; scores increased for those in the waitlist group (p = 0.003; partial eta squared = 0.12). The pre-post-intervention analysis of both groups also showed that burnout fell in the burnout cluster (p = 0.006; partial eta squared = 0.11). At 3-month follow-up, the burnout score was significantly reduced in the intervention group (p = 0.02; partial eta squared = 0.07), and both the acceptance (p = 0.007) and mindfulness scores (p = 0.05; partial eta squared = 0.05) were increased in the baseline burnout cluster. FIRECARE may be a useful approach to preventing and reducing burnout among prehospital caregivers.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- The Empirical Status of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review of 44 Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials Perspectives on Psychological Science February 16, 2021
- Becoming conscious: the science of mindfulness Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences November 1, 2013
- Predictive Factors of Response to Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (Mbct) for Patients with Depressive Symptoms: The Machine Learning’s Point of View OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine December 28, 2022
- Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on the Well-Being, Burnout and Stress of Italian Healthcare Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic Journal of Clinical Medicine May 31, 2022
and 2 more in the library