Time-out with humor—an intervention project for burnout prevention in a family health unit
Mariana Jácome, Beatriz Graça, Ana Margarida Leitão Da Silva Santos, Catarina Oliveira, Cátia Pereira, Tiago Reis Pereira, Cátia Santos Nunes, Ana Aveiro, Joana Montenegro Penetra, João Pestana Almeida, Gladys L. Caldeira, Seiça CardosoBackground
Burnout syndrome, characterized by emotional exhaustion, reduced personal accomplishment, and detachment, affects personal and professional well-being. Humor-based interventions have been explored as strategies to promote psychological resilience.
Objective
To assess the impact of a humor-based intervention combined with team-building sessions on burnout levels among professionals in a Family Health Unit.
Methods
Controlled before-after study in two Family Health Units. The intervention group comprised 6 physicians, 6 nurses and 4 secretaries; the control group 5 physicians, 5 nurses and 4 secretaries. Median age was 47.5 years (IQR 19.25) in the control and 50.0 years (IQR 11.75) in the intervention group; 76.7% were female. At baseline and post-intervention, participants completed the Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale, the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory—Portuguese version, and the Personal Wellbeing Index—Adult. Over one year, intervention group staff participated in weekly humor-viewing sessions and two psychologist-led workshops on communication skills and burnout prevention. The primary outcome was change in burnout across three domains (personal, work-related, patient-related); the secondary outcome was subjective well-being.
Results
A statistically significant between-group difference in patient-related burnout was found at post-intervention: scores increased in the control group and decreased in the intervention group (p = 0.04). Within-group pre—post changes were not statistically significant, and no significant differences were observed in the remaining burnout domains or in well-being.
Conclusions
The intervention was associated with lower patient-related burnout. Despite limitations in sample size and study design, findings suggest potential benefits of humor-based approaches in healthcare.