Study Protocol Examines How General Practitioners Manage Patient Burnout in Practice

A newly published study protocol outlines an exploratory sequential mixed-methods project designed to investigate how general practitioners manage burnout and to identify the psychosocial and contextual factors shaping their clinical choices. General practitioners are frequently consulted regarding work-related difficulties amid a broader rise in burnout-related complaints, yet systematic understanding of their management strategies and the determinants governing those practices remains constrained.

To address this empirical gap, the planned investigation will be executed across two distinct phases. The initial qualitative phase relies on semi-structured interviews that integrate video-based clinical vignettes to explore clinical management behaviors alongside their underlying determinants within a realistic clinical context.

The subsequent phase will build directly on the qualitative insights gathered during the first stage to construct a structured questionnaire. This quantitative instrument is intended to generalize findings across a larger participant sample, test novel hypotheses generated from the interview material, and statistically evaluate how specific psychosocial and contextual determinants influence medical practices.

According to the investigators, the protocol’s methodological originality stems from combining complementary theoretical frameworks with video-based clinical vignettes to examine medical decision-making in a contextualized setting. Developed through an ecologically informed and sustainable research perspective, the recorded vignettes are also intended to serve dual functions by providing material for professional training in burnout management and informing future interventional trials.

The investigators anticipate that outcomes from this mixed-methods project will inform policy discussions, guide public dialogue, and help refine clinical management practices and support recommendations for handling burnout in primary care settings. The trial protocol was formally registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on February 6, 2025, under the study identifier NCT06811181.

Subject of Research: Determinants of burnout management practices among general practitioners

Article Title: Burnout management in general practice: exploring psychosocial and contextual determinants of clinicial practices. A mixed-methods study protocol

Article References: Ollierou, F., Cougot, B., Armant, A., Fournier, J.-P., Bègue, C., Moret, L., Lebeaupin, M., Caillet, P., Fairier, D., Le Saout, A., Gauvin, J., Peltier, A., Brûlé, N., Gillet, N., & Tripodi, D. (2026). Burnout management in general practice: exploring psychosocial and contextual determinants of clinicial practices. A mixed-methods study protocol. BMC Primary Care. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-026-03614-w

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12875-026-03614-w

Keywords: burnout management, general practice, primary care, mixed methods, study protocol, clinical vignettes, psychosocial determinants, contextual determinants, Burnout, management, general, practice