title: Feasibility of an electronic diary in clinical burnout.
abstract: Electronic diaries overcome important drawbacks of retrospective reports and capture fluctuations of psychological states and behavior. This study represents the first use of this method in clinically burned-out participants and aims to establish its feasibility concerning participant acceptability, compliance, and reactivity in this sample. Electronic diary measurement of burnout symptoms was performed 5 times a day for 2 weeks in 60 burned-out participants on sick leave and in 40 healthy controls. The method was well accepted, compliance was high (81%-96%), and no reactivity effect was found on the recording of burnout symptoms. We conclude that the electronic diary employed is accurate, reliable, and a promising tool in capturing key symptoms and their fluctuations in clinical burnout.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. m.a.sonnenschein@fss.uu.nl
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sonnenschein
authors.forename: Marjolijn J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sorbi
authors.forename: Lorenz J P
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: van Doornen
authors.forename: Cora J M
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Maas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D034201:Computers, Handheld; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012016:Reference Values; D012647:Self-Assessment; D018582:Sick Leave; D012984:Software; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires