Trial reportBMC health services research2025
Creative strengthening groups as a potential intervention to enhance job satisfaction and reduce levels of burnout in healthcare professionals: results from the randomized controlled trial UPGRADE.
Trial report in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Workplace Mental Health Programs for Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Pooled it
- Team creativity as a catalyst for care effectiveness and well-being in primary care teams.Health care management reviewArticle
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHealthcare professionals often face substantial work-related burdens. A large body of evidence has shown that poor working conditions can lead to low levels of job satisfaction, increased emotional stress and burnout. While symptom targeted interventions take effect after symptoms become manifest, preventive interventions are required to reduce the risk of work-related diseases. Therefore, the UPGRADE-trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Creative Strengthening Groups as a potential intervention to enhance job satisfaction and work-related health. The German Innovation Fund (Innovationsfonds) funded the project.
methodsWe conducted a randomized controlled trial and randomly assigned healthcare professionals to either the intervention or the control group. The intervention - Creative Strengthening Groups - consisted of two one-day classes. We evaluated the primary outcome job satisfaction and further work-related outcomes using standardized questionnaires. We collected data at baseline as well as after three and six months. The study was conducted between October 2019 to March 2023, including the pandemic period.
resultsWe enrolled 196 participants (intervention n = 88, control n = 108) with a mean age of 46.2 ± 12.1 years (84.5% female). 43.7% were nursing professionals. Job satisfaction in the intervention group increased from 55.47 ± 10.23 to 57.07 ± 11.65 after three months and decreased in the control group from 56.29 ± 19.69 to 53.47 ± 20.09. The difference between groups did not reach statistical significance. Additionally, change in patient-related stress significantly differed between groups (intervention: -3.9 ± 12.16 vs. control: 5.17 ± 17.43; p =.027) as well as personal burnout (intervention: -5.25 ± 13.1 vs. control: 4.35 ± 16.24; p =.011). Within the intervention group, we observed a greater improvement concerning work-related burnout in nursing staff in geriatric care than in hospitals (-15.27 ± 13.5 vs. +3.28 ± 13.7; p =.003).
conclusionThough the Covid-19 pandemic worsened working conditions for healthcare professionals, our results indicate that intervention has the potential to enhance job satisfaction and work related health. Notably, due to the overall workload and the pandemic restrictions, a high number of participants did not continually participate in both classes of the intervention and some did not return all questionnaires. As long as healthcare professionals in Germany are facing exceedingly bad working conditions, it is very difficult to support their resources such as self-efficacy, self-esteem, and optimism by health promotion interventions.
trial registrationThe trial has been registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS; ID: DRKS00020908). Date of Registration: 2020-03-16.
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