Projecte Benestar 2026: Virtual Reality Program for Healthcare Workers (BENESTAR)

June 10, 2026 updated by: Jose Ferrer Costa, Badalona Serveis Assistencials

Projecte Benestar 2026: Multicenter Study of the Effectiveness and Implementability of an Immersive Educational Program for Workers in Healthcare Settings

Projecte Benestar 2026 is a multicenter randomized controlled study evaluating a brief immersive educational program delivered through virtual reality for healthcare workers. The program is designed to support emotional well-being, self-care, mindfulness, and emotional regulation in professionals working in healthcare settings.

Participants will be active healthcare or healthcare-support workers from participating centers. They will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive the virtual reality program at the beginning of the study, while the other group will continue usual activity and receive the same program later, after a wait-list period.

The main objective is to evaluate whether the program reduces emotional exhaustion, measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Secondary objectives include evaluating changes in depersonalization, personal accomplishment, work engagement, usability, satisfaction, adherence, and tolerability of the virtual reality program.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This is a multicenter randomized controlled trial with a delayed-start wait-list control design. The study will evaluate Projecte Benestar, an immersive educational virtual reality program designed to support emotional well-being, self-care, mindfulness, emotional regulation, and self-compassion among workers in healthcare settings.

The study population will include active professionals working in participating healthcare organizations, including clinical and non-clinical staff with direct healthcare contact or support functions. Participating institutions may include primary care, hospital, and intermediate care settings. Recruitment will be conducted among eligible workers who voluntarily agree to participate and provide informed consent.

Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio, stratified by center, to one of two study groups. Group A will receive the intervention during the first weeks of the study. Group B will continue usual activity during the initial period and will receive the same intervention after a wait-list period of approximately 6 months. This delayed-start design allows comparison between immediate intervention and usual activity while ensuring that all participants are eventually offered the program.

The intervention consists of eight brief individual virtual reality sessions delivered through autonomous virtual reality headsets. Each session lasts approximately 9 to 15 minutes and combines short educational content with guided immersive practice. The contents include mindfulness, breathing exercises, body scan practices, emotional regulation strategies, the RAIN technique, self-compassion, and a final integration session. Sessions may be delivered in a standard 8-week format with one session per week, or in an intensive 4-week format with two sessions per week, depending on local logistical capacity.

The virtual reality content is fixed and non-adaptive. All participants receive the same sequence of sessions. The application does not require internet connection during use and does not collect automatic data from the device. Participants complete sessions seated in a quiet institutional space, with a local study reference person available for technical support or in case of discomfort.

The primary outcome is change in emotional exhaustion measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey. Secondary outcomes include the other burnout dimensions of depersonalization and personal accomplishment, work engagement measured with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, usability measured with the System Usability Scale, participant satisfaction, adherence to the sessions, and tolerability or incidents related to virtual reality use.

Data will be collected at baseline, after the first intervention cycle, at 6 months, after the delayed intervention cycle, and at 12 months. The main analysis will compare changes in outcomes between the immediate intervention group and the wait-list control group, with additional within-group pre-post analyses and follow-up assessments over time.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
100

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: José Ferrer Costa, MD, MSc
  • Phone Number: +34937407482
  • Email: jfcosta@bsa.cat

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Spain
    • Barcelona
      • Badalona, Barcelona, Spain, 08911
        • Recruiting
        • Badalona Serveis Assistencials
        • Contact:
    • Tarragona
      • Valls, Tarragona, Spain, 43800
        • Recruiting
        • ABS Valls Urbà | Gerència d'Atenció Primària i a la Comunitat
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Active permanent or temporary staff member at a participating healthcare center where the program is implemented
  • Age 18 years or older
  • Able to understand, accept, and sign the informed consent form
  • Willing to complete the study procedures, attend the planned weekly sessions, and complete the study questionnaires

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Photosensitive epilepsy or history of seizures triggered by visual stimuli
  • Severe motion sickness or previous intolerance to immersive devices
  • Visual or hearing impairment that prevents adequate use of the virtual reality headset

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Immediate Intervention: Projecte Benestar VR Program
Participants randomized to this arm will receive the Projecte Benestar virtual reality educational program during the first intervention period. The program includes 8 individual immersive sessions focused on mindfulness, breathing, body scan, emotional regulation, RAIN, self-compassion, and integration. Sessions last approximately 9 to 15 minutes and may be delivered over 8 weeks or 4 weeks depending on center logistics.
Behavioral: Projecte Benestar Virtual Reality Educational Program
Projecte Benestar is an immersive educational virtual reality program focused on mindfulness, emotional regulation, and self-compassion for workers in healthcare settings. The program includes 8 individual sessions delivered through autonomous virtual reality headsets. Each session lasts approximately 9 to 15 minutes and includes guided audio and immersive 3D content. Sessions may be delivered over 8 weeks or in an intensive 4-week format, depending on local logistics.
Other: Wait-list Control: Delayed Projecte Benestar VR Program
Participants randomized to this arm will continue usual activity during the initial wait-list control period. After approximately 6 months, they will receive the same Projecte Benestar virtual reality educational program, consisting of 8 individual immersive sessions focused on mindfulness, breathing, body scan, emotional regulation, RAIN, self-compassion, and integration.
Behavioral: Projecte Benestar Virtual Reality Educational Program
Projecte Benestar is an immersive educational virtual reality program focused on mindfulness, emotional regulation, and self-compassion for workers in healthcare settings. The program includes 8 individual sessions delivered through autonomous virtual reality headsets. Each session lasts approximately 9 to 15 minutes and includes guided audio and immersive 3D content. Sessions may be delivered over 8 weeks or in an intensive 4-week format, depending on local logistics.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Emotional Exhaustion Score on the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey
Time Frame: Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months
Emotional exhaustion will be assessed using the Emotional Exhaustion subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey. The subscale includes 9 items scored from 0 to 6, with total scores ranging from 0 to 54. Higher scores indicate greater emotional exhaustion. Changes will be compared between the immediate intervention group and the wait-list control group during the first intervention period, and will also be assessed after the delayed intervention group completes the program.
Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Depersonalization Score on the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey
Time Frame: Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months
Depersonalization will be assessed using the Depersonalization subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey. The subscale includes 5 items scored from 0 to 6, with total scores ranging from 0 to 30. Higher scores indicate greater depersonalization.
Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months
Change in Personal Accomplishment Score on the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey
Time Frame: Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months
Personal accomplishment will be assessed using the Personal Accomplishment subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey. The subscale includes 8 items scored from 0 to 6, with total scores ranging from 0 to 48. Higher scores indicate greater personal accomplishment.
Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months
Change in Vigor Score on the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9
Time Frame: Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months
Vigor will be assessed using the Vigor dimension of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9. This dimension includes 3 items scored from 0 to 6. The dimension score will be calculated as the mean of the items, ranging from 0 to 6. Higher scores indicate greater vigor, reflecting higher energy and mental resilience at work.
Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months
Change in Dedication Score on the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9
Time Frame: Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months
Dedication will be assessed using the Dedication dimension of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9. This dimension includes 3 items scored from 0 to 6. The dimension score will be calculated as the mean of the items, ranging from 0 to 6. Higher scores indicate greater dedication, reflecting a stronger sense of significance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride, and challenge at work.
Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months
Change in Absorption Score on the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9
Time Frame: Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months
Absorption will be assessed using the Absorption dimension of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9. This dimension includes 3 items scored from 0 to 6. The dimension score will be calculated as the mean of the items, ranging from 0 to 6. Higher scores indicate greater absorption, reflecting being more fully concentrated and deeply involved in work.
Baseline, approximately 4 to 8 weeks, and approximately 7 months
System Usability Scale Score After the Virtual Reality Program
Time Frame: After completion of the intervention: approximately 4 to 8 weeks for the immediate intervention group and approximately 7 months for the delayed intervention group
Usability will be assessed using the System Usability Scale, a 10-item questionnaire that provides a global usability score ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate greater perceived usability of the virtual reality program.
After completion of the intervention: approximately 4 to 8 weeks for the immediate intervention group and approximately 7 months for the delayed intervention group
Participant Satisfaction With the Virtual Reality Program
Time Frame: After completion of the intervention: approximately 4 to 8 weeks for the immediate intervention group and approximately 7 months for the delayed intervention group
Satisfaction will be assessed using 2 ad hoc visual analog scale items scored from 0 to 10. The items assess perceived usefulness of the intervention and willingness to recommend the experience to colleagues. Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction.
After completion of the intervention: approximately 4 to 8 weeks for the immediate intervention group and approximately 7 months for the delayed intervention group
Adherence to the Virtual Reality Program
Time Frame: From intervention start to intervention completion, approximately 4 to 8 weeks
Adherence will be calculated as the percentage of completed virtual reality sessions out of the total planned sessions. The program includes 8 planned sessions. Higher percentages indicate greater adherence to the intervention.
From intervention start to intervention completion, approximately 4 to 8 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Tolerability of the Virtual Reality Program
Time Frame: Immediately after Sessions 1 through 8 and at intervention completion, up to 8 weeks
Tolerability will be assessed immediately after Sessions 1 through 8 and at intervention completion by recording symptoms related to virtual reality use, including eye fatigue, blurred vision, headache, dizziness, nausea, disorientation, anxiety, or ergonomic discomfort. Symptoms will be rated using an ad hoc 4-point scale from none to severe. Lower scores indicate better tolerability.
Immediately after Sessions 1 through 8 and at intervention completion, up to 8 weeks
Incidence of Virtual Reality-Related Adverse Events or Session Interruptions
Time Frame: From intervention start to intervention completion, approximately 4 to 8 weeks
Virtual reality-related incidents will be recorded after each session using a session incident log. Events may include dizziness, cybersickness, headache, anxiety, visual discomfort, or other symptoms leading to session interruption or withdrawal. The outcome will be summarized as the number and proportion of participants with any recorded incident.
From intervention start to intervention completion, approximately 4 to 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Badalona Serveis Assistencials

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Institut Catala de Salut
Fundacio d'Investigacio en Atencio Primaria Jordi Gol i Gurina
Corporació de Salut del Maresme i la Selva

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Jose Ferrer Costa, MD, MSc, Badalona Serveis Assistencials - Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 8, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 5, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 10, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • BENESTAR-26/085-P
  • 26/085-P (Other Identifier: CEIm IDIAP Jordi Gol Approval Code)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in future publications may be shared upon reasonable request to the corresponding author. Data will not be publicly available in an open repository. Access will be subject to approval by the study investigators, institutional data protection requirements, and, where required, a data sharing agreement.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

De-identified individual participant data and supporting documents will be available beginning 6 months after publication of the main study results and for 5 years thereafter.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

De-identified individual participant data underlying the published results may be shared upon reasonable request to the corresponding author. Access will be limited to researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal for approved research purposes. Requests will be reviewed by the study investigators and, where required, by the participating institutions. Data will not be made publicly available in an open repository. Access will be subject to applicable data protection requirements and, if required, a data sharing agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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