The Tell-Tale heart: can a monitor expose hidden stress in ER doctors?
NCT ID NCT04334083
First seen Aug 07, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026
Summary
This study investigates whether heart rate variability (HRV) can detect stress in emergency physicians during their shifts. Researchers will monitor doctors' HRV during day and night shifts and compare reactions to stressful events. The goal is to understand how expertise and habituation affect stress responses, which could help identify burnout risk.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Observation of emergency physicians during work shifts, with heart rate variability monitoring
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could identify early warning signs of stress and burnout in emergency doctors, potentially leading to better support and prevention strategies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small observational study, so results may not apply to all doctors or settings. It measures stress indirectly and cannot prove cause and effect.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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48 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2022
- Finished
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Dec 2023
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Emergency physicians from the emergency department of CHU Clermont-Ferrand will be accompanied by a medical externship student. * Ability to give a written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Participant refusal to participate
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Chu Clermont Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand, 63003, France
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