The Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) Program Is Associated with Sustained Improvement in Clinician Well-Being: Results from an Observational Cohort Study.
Brittany L Garcia, Maureen A Craig, Nicole Adams, Elyse R Park, Michelle L Dossett
International journal of environmental research and public health January 28, 2026 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3390/ijerph23020161 via PubMed
Summary
Clinicians who participated in the SMART Program experienced significant improvements in well-being, burnout, perceived stress, stress coping, resilience, and self-compassion at two months post-program. These benefits were maintained at eight months, indicating lasting effects of the program. The study found that greater use of stress-management techniques and more days of meditation practice were associated with these improvements.
Study at a glance
| Design | observational study |
|---|---|
| Population | clinicians participating in the SMART Program |
| Key finding | Participation in the SMART Program was associated with significant improvements in clinician well-being that persisted six months following program completion. |
Abstract
Burnout negatively impacts clinicians, patients, and healthcare systems. We examined the immediate and sustained effects of an evidence-based, multi-modal Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) Program on clinician well-being. Clinicians who registered to participate in the SMART Program were invited to join an observational study and complete questionnaires before the program started, at two months (post-program), and at eight months (six months following program completion). We found significant improvements in well-being, burnout, perceived stress, stress coping, resilience, and self-compassion at 2 months (all p < 0.001), with moderate-to-large effect sizes (d = 0.57 to 1.0). Significant benefits were maintained at 8 months, with small-to-moderate effect sizes (d = 0.41 to 0.65). Exploratory analyses found significant correlations between improvements in well-being from baseline to 8 months and the number of stress-management techniques used at 8 months (r = 0.53, p < 0.0001) and the number of days on which participants practiced meditation for at least 10 min (r = 0.28, p = 0.049). Participation in the SMART Program was associated with significant improvements in clinician well-being that persisted six months following program completion and was positively associated with the number of stress-management tools used and meditation practice.