Building Fortitude: Evaluating a Brief Training Intervention to Reduce Burnout in Healthcare Professionals

While many intervention strategies have been developed to address burnout in the workplace, the problem continues. The authors propose that the intrapersonal attribute of fortitude provides a new perspective on the antecedents of burnout and creates potential new targets for intervention. To assess the extent to which fortitude training can decrease burnout, they engaged a group of physicians, APPs, and healthcare leaders. Using an experimental group/control group research design, they provided a four-hour fortitude training program and facilitated group coaching to the experimental group. The control group was comprised of colleagues who worked in the same work environment as the participants but did not receive any fortitude training, placebo, or attention control. At three-month follow-up, there was an increase in the level of fortitude and a significant decrease in the level of burnout in the experimental group, and no change in fortitude and a moderate increase in burnout in the control group. Moreover, results also showed significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of their level of fortitude and burnout. In terms of practical implications, this study provides initial evidence that fortitude is malleable and can reduce burnout in healthcare workers.