Assessing the Impact of a Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) Intervention on Physician/Healthcare Professional Burnout: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

John Kavanaugh; Mark E Hardison; Heidi Honegger Rogers; Crystal White; Jessica Gross

doi:10.3390/ijerph192114505

Assessing the Impact of a Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) Intervention on Physician/Healthcare Professional Burnout: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 4;19(21):14505. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192114505.

Authors

John Kavanaugh¹, Mark E Hardison², Heidi Honegger Rogers³, Crystal White², Jessica Gross⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico Hospital, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA.
² Occupational Therapy Graduate Program, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
³ College of Nursing, University of New Mexico College of Nursing, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
⁴ Clinical and Translational Science Center, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.

Abstract

Professional healthcare worker burnout is a crisis in the United States healthcare system. This crisis can be viewed at any level, from the national to local communities, but ultimately, must be understood at the level of the individual who is caring for patients. Thus, interventions to reduce burnout symptoms must prioritize the mental health of these individuals by alleviating some of the symptoms of depression, grief, and anxiety that accompany burnout. The practice of Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) is a specific evidence-based practice which research has shown can improve an individual's mental health and, when performed in a group, can support a sense of social connection. We investigated the impact of a three-hour, guided Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) nature-based intervention on burnout symptoms among physicians and other healthcare workers by using a randomized, controlled trial. The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and Mini-Z assessments were used to collect baseline burnout scores and participants were randomized into the intervention group, which completed the assessment again after the Shinrin-Yoku walk, or into a control group, which completed the assessments again after a day off from any clinical duties. A total of 34 participants were enrolled in the intervention group and a total of 22 participants were enrolled in the control group. Ultimately, no statistically significant differences were detected between the pre-test and post-test scores for the intervention group or between the post-test scores of the intervention group compared to the control group. However, the subjective responses collected from participants after participating in the Shinrin-Yoku walk overwhelmingly reported decreased feelings of stress and increased mental wellbeing. This raises important questions about the difference between symptoms of burnout and other aspects of mental health, as well as the limitations of a one-time nature-based intervention on levels of chronic burnout symptoms. Thus, further research on the effects of engaging healthcare providers in an ongoing practice of Shinrin-Yoku is warranted.

Keywords: Shinrin-Yoku; forest bathing; forest therapy; healthcare providers; professional burnout.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Burnout, Professional* / prevention & control
Delivery of Health Care
Forests
Humans
Mental Health
Physicians*

Grants and funding

This project was funded by an internal grant from the University of New Mexico Faculty Lifecycle Scholarship Fund by the Office of Faculty Affairs and Career Development.