Small Group Coaching Significantly Reduces Physician Burnout, Study Finds

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has demonstrated that small-scale professional coaching can lead to a substantial decrease in physician burnout rates, by nearly 30%. This approach appears to be more effective and cost-efficient than the traditional one-on-one coaching methods.

Physician burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a diminished sense of personal achievement, affects nearly half of all U.S. physicians. This crisis not only impacts doctor well-being but also has serious repercussions for patient care and the healthcare system, including increased medical errors and higher costs due to physician turnover.

The UCLA study involved 79 internal medicine physicians over the course of a year, beginning in March 2023. Participants were divided into three groups: one received six hours of individual coaching via Zoom, another part engaged in small group coaching with three physicians and one coach, and the control group received no coaching initially but later received individual coaching.

Research outcomes showed that those in the small group coaching experienced a nearly 30% reduction in burnout, while individual coaching yielded a 13.5% decrease. Conversely, burnout levels in the control group increased by 11%, although they subsequently showed improvement after receiving coaching.

Cost analysis revealed that small group coaching, priced at approximately $400 per participant, was significantly more affordable than individual coaching, which costs around $1,000 per person. Dr. Joshua Khalili, the lead author, emphasized that this model could offer a scalable and effective solution to physician burnout.

Although the study’s results are promising, limitations include potential selection bias and the fact that the research was conducted within a large academic setting, which may not fully reflect other healthcare environments. Nonetheless, the findings support broader implementation of small group coaching as a valuable intervention.

By enhancing physicians’ well-being, engagement, and support systems, such coaching programs have the potential to improve patient outcomes and bring a public health perspective to addressing workplace stress among healthcare providers. The researchers hope that their work encourages other medical institutions to adopt similar approaches to support their physicians.

For more details, this study is published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (2025).