Can a 4-Week online course ease burnout in future doctors?
NCT ID NCT06914843
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot study tested a web-based program called OptimalWork that teaches cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills to help medical trainees manage stress, anxiety, burnout, and depression. 35 participants were randomly assigned to either the 4-week online course or a podcast-listening control group. Researchers measured well-being over 16 weeks to see if the program improves resilience and mental health.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- OptimalWork (online CBT-based training modules)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a scalable way to improve mental health and resilience among medical trainees and healthcare workers.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 35 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The intervention requires daily time commitment, and benefits may not last long-term.
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
-
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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35 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2023
- Finished
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Dec 2024
- 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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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Current or incoming WashU School of Medicine Student Exclusion Criteria: * Currently participating in another behavioral health / well-being intervention * Unwilling or unable to provide informed consent
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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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Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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