Stress-Busting program for hospital staff shows promise
NCT ID NCT07255313
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests a 10-week program called SOULFOOD that combines mind-body techniques, nutrition advice, and relaxation exercises to help healthcare workers at University Medicine Essen build resilience and reduce burnout. About 252 employees with moderate stress levels will participate. The goal is to see if the program improves their ability to cope with stress and can be used as a regular workplace health offering.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- SOULFOOD Programme (mind-body medicine, nutrition, relaxation techniques)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this program could become a standard workplace health tool to help healthcare workers manage stress and prevent burnout.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small, early-stage trial (252 participants) testing a behavioral intervention, so results may not apply broadly. Participants must be motivated to practice at home, which could limit effectiveness.
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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About 252 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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 years and older
- 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: * Age 18 years and older * Employees of University Medicine Essen * Moderate resilience of ≤ 144 points on the RS-25 * Willingness to practice at home and keep a practice diary Exclusion Criteria: * Insufficient German language skills * Pregnancy and breastfeeding * Severe comorbid mental disorders (e.g., substance use disorder, major depression) or other severe comorbid somatic diseases (e.g., oncological disease without remission, severe pre-existing cardiovascular disease, organ failure, other severe neurological disorders) * Planned or ongoing pension application (e.g., disability pension, occupational disability, reduced earning capacity, severe disability) * Concurrent participation in other clinical intervention studies
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Center for Integrative Medicine and Planetary Health, University Hospital Essen
RECRUITINGEssen, 45145, Germany
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