COACHING FOR COVID-19
Coaching for COVID-19
A Pilot Study Investigating the Effectiveness of Coaching to Improve Psychological Outcomes in Hospital-Based Senior Doctors
Authors
Nathasha Kugenthiran1, Jessica Strudwick1, Sarah Dalton2, Rita Holland2, Samuel Harvey1, Aimee Gayed1
1Black Dog Institute, Sydney, NSW Australia 2Capstan Partners, Sydney, NSW Australia
Background
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic there was increasing recognition of the high levels of psychological distress experienced by doctors1-3. due to pressures of managing their work demands and the potentially negative impact this could have on the quality of patient care4.
At the onset and during the peaks of the pandemic, further elevated levels of psychological distress amongst doctors was reported5.
As highlighted in a review by JAMA4, acritical role for organisations is to provide
a safe space for staff to reflect, learn, and find solutions to their challenges.
Coaching provides an evidence-based approach to improve mental health and support individuals to flourish.
Aim and Objectives:
To reduce psychological distress and improve positive psychological outcomes in Senior Doctors during the COVID-19
pandemic.
• Primary Objective:
To reduce psychological distress, as measured by the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), in a cohort of Senior Doctors at two Australian hospitals through the implementation of a one-on-one virtual coaching program (Coaching for COVID-19).
• Secondary Objectives:
To improve a range of positive psychological outcomes, including
wellbeing, flourishing and solutionfocused thinking.
Methods
A quantitative quasi-experimental pilot study of a coaching program using prepost intervention analysis was conducted.
Participants were recruited though email communication from Medical Directors within their organisation.
Evaluation occurred through self-report questionnaires administered at baseline,
1-week post end of the coaching intervention (primary timepoint), and at 3- months post the intervention.
“The ability to sound off to a completely neutral and independent person…helped me learn a lot about myself and how I reacted to issues, I felt like I made great progress in a short period of time”
Results
Post-intervention measures demonstrated a significant reduction in psychological distress with a mean reduction in depression of 2.41 points, 2.90 points in stress and 1.45 points in anxiety on the DASS-21. There was significant improvement across positive psychological outcomes with the greatest increase of ~10% seen in the WHO-5 Wellbeing scores.
- A statistically significant improvement was seen across all psychological outcome measures at program end
- All participants agreed or strongly agreed that they would recommend Coaching for COVID-19 to colleagues
- All participants agreed or strongly agreed that Coaching for COVID-19 was a positive experience
What is coaching?
According to the International Coaching Federation ‘Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and
creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.’
The primary coaching approach applied in the Coaching for COVID-19 program was solution-focused thinking based on positive psychology principles, cognitive
behavioural foundations and systems thinking.
Coaching is different to mentoring as it is not based in advice-giving or ongoing relationships between peers. The program consisted of six sessions as outlined in the figure below:
Participants
• Participants were Staff Specialists or Visiting Medical Officers employed at a minimum of 0.4 FTE, and/or Head of Department.
• 33 participants completed the coaching program (complete data is available for 29 participants).
• The majority of participants were female (72%) with the majority of
participants aged between 41-60 years.
Implications
• This study provides initial evidence that coaching may be a useful prevention approach for the mental health of Senior Doctors and may support them to flourish.
• Further research with a control group is required to identify variables All participants agreed or strongly agreed that Coaching associated with optimal outcomes.
References
1. Mata DA, Ramos MA, Bansal N, et al. Prevalence of Depression and Depressive Symptoms Among Resident Physicians: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA. 2015;314(22):2373-2383.
2. Zhou AY, Carder M, Gittins M, Agius R. Work-related ill health in doctors working in Great Britain: incidence rates and trends. British Journal of Psychiatry. 2017;211(5):310-315.
3. Blue B. National Mental Health Survey of Doctors and Medical Students. Beyond Blue Doctors Mental Health Program. 2013.
4. Dawson J. Staff experience and patient outcomes: what do we know. London: NHS Employers. 2014.
5. Shanafelt T, Ripp J, Trockel M. Understanding and Addressing Sources of Anxiety Among Health Care Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA. 2020.
Acknowledgements
The research team would like to acknowledge the commitment to this study from the South Western Sydney Local Health District and honour the contribution of participants who undertook this professional coaching program.
Disclosures: Rita Holland is Director, Dr Sarah Dalton is Medical Advisor, and both are professional coaches at Capstan Partners. They conceived the study and received payment for their coaching role but had no involvement in data collection or analysis.
Benefits to senior doctors included:
- access to five months of complimentary professional coaching
- developing personal insights, tools and techniques that are science-based to enable reflection, evaluation and creating new sustainable behaviours
- potential increases in wellbeing
- provision of a safe, confidential environment where senior doctors can discuss challenges when integrating professional and personal needs during a pandemic
Benefits to the wider community included:
- publication of the first known Australian evidence-based research to evaluate the efficacy of a professional coaching program during COVID-19
- publication of one of the first programs to be evaluated as part of a doctor wellbeing response to COVID-19
- building the case for hospital based coaching programs through rigorous evaluation of outcomes
- contributing to research assessing the efficacy of virtual coaching for improved Senior Doctor wellbeing
Research Partnerships – Expression of interest
Capstan Partners’ passion and commitment to researching the efficacy of professional coaching in the Australasian healthcare sector is ongoing. If you are a researcher or part of a research organisation curious about ways to be part of our exciting work please contact us here. We look forward to hearing from you.
