Positive communication for decreasing burnout in intensive-care-unit staff: a cluster-randomised trial

We are delighted to announce that the first manuscript with the results of the HELLO trial has been published in the Intensive Care Medicine Journal, the ESICM society journal. This is a tremendous achievement, and we are proud of the dedication and collaboration that made it possible.

The HELLO trial was a 1:1 cluster-randomised study conducted in 370 ICUs across 60 countries, comparing a four-week intervention to usual care. The intervention aimed to foster a positive workplace culture and within-team support through simple but effective strategies: posters, email nudges, greetings during morning meetings, role modelling, and encouraging messages in boxes and on noticeboards.

Key outcomes:

• Primary endpoint: burnout prevalence (Maslach Burnout Inventory).
• Results: Before the intervention, burnout prevalence was 59.4%. Afterwards, prevalence was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to controls (52.2% vs. 63.3%; adjusted OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.46–0.68; P<0.001).
• Secondary outcomes: Lower emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, higher sense of personal accomplishment, improved job satisfaction, workplace safety, ethical climate, and patient- and family-centred care. Staff were also less likely to consider leaving their job.

We are currently preparing the 6-month follow-up data and will use the dataset to develop and validate an algorithm for burnout prediction.

On behalf of ESICM and the HELLO steering committee, we sincerely thank all ICUs and colleagues for their extraordinary participation. Your enthusiasm — along with the photos and videos shared — truly brought this project to life.