The Effects of a Biofeedback Breathing Device on Stress and Burnout in Oncology Healthcare Providers

Abstract Unaided breathing techniques are often used to reduce stress and burnout levels. However, lack of time, access, or feedback can make these techniques impractical for many individuals. We aimed to investigate the effect of a drug-free biofeedback-breathing device in reducing stress and burnout levels in oncology physicians, nurses and healthcare workers. In this single-arm, self-controlled survey study, 42 oncology personnel used the biofeedback device for a period of 10 weeks, 3 times a day for 3 minutes at a time. The primary and secondary endpoints of the study were improvement over baseline in the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) validated questionnaire scores, respectively, assessed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of device use. The questionnaire response rate was 100%. The PSS scores improved from 17.31 (standard deviation [SD] 5.74) at baseline to 14.12 (SD 6.50) and 13.48 (SD 6.04) at 6 and 8 weeks of device use, respectively, with a significant improvement achieved at 8 weeks ( p = .026). All MBI scale scores significantly improved after 6 weeks of device use (occupational exhaustion, p = .010, depersonalization, p = .031, and personal accomplishment assessment, p = .044), with sustained significant improvements in occupational exhaustion ( p = .0083) and depersonalization ( p = .049) at 8 weeks. This study demonstrated that the biofeedback-breathing device may offer a drug-free and highly accessible intervention to alleviate stress and burnout in oncology staff members.