Health Coaching Skills Training and Its Impact on General Practitioner Burnout and Flourishing: A Mixed‐Methods Pilot Study
Eileen Gourley, Sharon Curtain, Karen Carlisle, Sam MangerABSTRACT
Background
Burnout among healthcare practitioners is a growing global concern. Interventions typically focus on organisational change or individual resilience. An additional approach is to address factors within the clinical consultation, where expectations around managing complex disease and behaviour change may contribute to burnout.
Aim
To evaluate the acceptability, adoption and implementation of a health coaching skills course for general practitioners, and to explore its impact on practitioner burnout and flourishing.
Methods
An online health coaching skills course was implemented and evaluated using a convergent parallel mixed‐methods design. Quantitative data were collected using validated pre‐ and post‐intervention surveys, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Flourishing Scale. Qualitative data were obtained through focus groups and individual interviews. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed separately and integrated to provide a comprehensive understanding of outcomes. The RE‐AIM framework informed evaluation of the intervention. Qualitative data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, and quantitative data using descriptive and non‐parametric inferential statistics.
Results
Eleven female general practitioners completed the course. Qualitative findings suggested reductions in perceived burnout were associated with perceived reductions in consultation burden and improved effectiveness. Quantitative findings indicated improvements in Maslach Burnout Inventory subscale scores, while changes in Flourishing Scale scores were modest.
Conclusion
This pilot study suggests that learning and applying health coaching skills in general practice consultations may influence burnout by decreasing perceived consultation burden and enhancing practitioner effectiveness. Wider dissemination of health coaching skills training may support practitioner well‐being while maintaining patient‐centred care. Further research is needed to confirm these findings.