Randomized trial of personalized psychological feedback from a longitudinal online survey and simultaneous evaluation of randomized stepped wedge availability of in-person peer support for hospital staff during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE: We tested if automated Personalized Self-Awareness Feedback (PSAF) from an online survey or in-person Peer Resilience Champion support (PRC) reduced emotional exhaustion among hospital workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Among a single cohort of participating staff from one hospital organization, each intervention was evaluated against a control condition with repeated measures of emotional exhaustion at quarterly intervals for 18 months. PSAF was tested in a randomized controlled trial compared to a no-feedback condition. PRC was tested in a group-randomized stepped-wedge design, comparing individual-level emotional exhaustion before and after availability of the intervention. Main and interactive effects on emotional exhaustion were tested in a linear mixed model. RESULTS: Among 538 staff, there was a small but significant beneficial effect of PSAF over time (p = .01); the difference at individual timepoints was only significant at timepoint three (month six). The effect of PRC over time was non-significant with a trend in the opposite direction to a treatment effect (p = .06). CONCLUSIONS: In a longitudinal assessment, automated feedback about psychological characteristics buffered emotional exhaustion significantly at six months, whereas in-person peer support did not. Providing automated feedback is not resource-intensive and merits further investigation as a method of support.