1. To evaluate the effect of a novel intervention to increase patient-provider connectedness on burnout. 2. To understand perceptions of burnout by level of experience.

Although burnout is prevalent among neurology providers and trainees, few randomized controlled trials have investigated interventions. Finding work meaningful has been associated with lower rates of burnout.

Participants completed pre- and post- Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) surveys. Students on teams randomized to the intervention completed and shared a patient interview adapted from the Tell Me More initiative during rounds. Teams randomized to the control arm conducted rounds as usual. In this preliminary analysis, pre- and post- MBI subscales were compared within groups using paired t-tests.  A grounded theory approach to qualitative data was applied.

The control cohort (n=6) demonstrated no change in the Emotional Exhaustion (EE) (p=0.32), Depersonalization (DP) (p=0.61) or Personal Accomplishment (PA) (p=0.56) subscales of the MBI. The intervention cohort (n=11) showed no significant change in the EE subscale (0.51), but demonstrated a tendency towards significant increase in the PA (p=0.07) and DP subscales (0.07). The percentage of participants experiencing at least one symptom of burnout was unchanged for the intervention and increased in the control group by 16.7%. Themes related to burnout expressed by experience level varied: poor administrative support (attendings), scant personal time (residents), unclear expectations/insufficient time with educators (students). None of the intervention participants who crossed threshold values from average to high rates of burnout were students, suggesting a protective effect of the patient interview.

Although underpowered, this preliminary sample demonstrates a trend toward increased subscales (PA,DP) in the intervention cohort and protection against increased burnout level and symptoms. Early review of open-ended responses suggests different sources of burnout by experience level. Analysis of the entire study cohort will help assess significance of preliminary findings.