Immediate Impact of an 8-Week Virtual Reality Educational Program on Burnout and Work Engagement Among Health Care Professionals: Pre-Post Pilot Study

Abstract

Background Health care professionals globally face increasing levels of burnout characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of accomplishment, and it has been notably exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This condition not only impacts the well-being of health care workers but also affects patient care and contributes to significant economic burden. Traditional approaches to mitigating burnout have included various psychosocial interventions, with mindfulness being recognized for its effectiveness in enhancing mental health and stress management. The emergence of virtual reality (VR) technology offers a novel immersive platform for delivering mindfulness and emotional management training. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the immediate impact of an 8-week VR educational program on burnout and work engagement among health care professionals. Methods This nonrandomized pre-post intervention study enrolled 90 health care professionals, including nurses, physicians, and allied health staff, from 3 different centers. Of these 90 professionals, 83 (92%) completed the program. The intervention consisted of 8 weekly VR sessions of 10-13 minutes each, using Meta Quest 2 headsets. The sessions focused on mindfulness and emotional management. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) were used for assessments. Data analysis involved inferential statistical techniques for evaluating the impact on the scales, including paired t tests for normally distributed variables and Wilcoxon signed rank tests for nonnormally distributed variables. The significance of changes was indicated by P values <.05, with effect sizes measured using Cohen d for t tests and Cohen r for Wilcoxon tests for quantifying the magnitude of the intervention’s effect. Results The statistical analysis revealed significant improvements in the MBI and UWES indices after the intervention (P<.05). Specifically, the MBI showed reductions in emotional exhaustion (t82=5.58; P<.001; Cohen d=0.61) and depersonalization (t82=4.67; P<.001; Cohen d=0.51), and an increase in personal accomplishment (t82=−3.62; P<.001; Cohen d=0.4). The UWES revealed enhancements in vigor (t82=−3.77; P<.001; Cohen d=0.41), dedication (Z=−3.63; P<.001; Cohen r=0.41), and absorption (Z=−3.52; P<.001; Cohen r=0.4). Conclusions The study provides initial data supporting the effectiveness of VR-based educational programs for reducing burnout and enhancing work engagement among health care professionals. While limitations, such as the absence of a control group, are acknowledged, the significant improvements in burnout and engagement indices coupled with high participant adherence and minimal VR discomfort underline the potential of VR interventions in health care settings. These encouraging findings pave the way for more comprehensive studies, including randomized controlled trials, to further validate and expand upon these results.