Camaraderie: Profession-Specific Facilitated Small Groups to Improve Well-Being in Health Care

Abstract

Objective: To assess the impact of profession-specific small groups for physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, and managers led by trained peer facilitators with the intention to improve aspects of well-being. Participants and Methods: This is a single-center, pilot, nonrandomized control trial of the Camaraderie group intervention with employees at Oregon Health and Science University (N=151; intervention, n=89; control, n=62). The intervention condition included 8 groups of 10 to 12 participants and 2 facilitators. Groups met 6 times for a 1-hour virtual session during a 3-month period from March to May 2023. Each session had a theme and 2 prompts. Participants were surveyed prior to the first session, immediately after the 6 sessions, and then 3 months after the program concluded. Validated metrics assessed included burnout, belonging, job satisfaction, and perceived stress levels. Results: After completing the 6 sessions, 72.5% of intervention participants reported attending 5 or 6 of the 6 sessions, and 86.0% rated the facilitation as above average or highest value. Belonging on a Likert scale from 1 to 5 (strong agreement) had a statistically significant increase of +0.45 (mean change or difference-in-difference; P=.03), from baseline to postsession relative to the control group. Stress (Likert 0-4 [very often]) and depersonalization (Likert 0-6 [every day]) had a statistically significant decreases from baseline to postsession (−0.21; P=.04, and −0.70; P=.02, respectively), relative to the control. There were no effects on job satisfaction or emotional exhaustion and no maintenance effects at the 3-month survey. Conclusion: Profession-specific facilitated virtual small groups provide a high-impact experience with a minimal time commitment and support the well-being and belonging of the health care workforce.