Pan African Clinical Trials Registry
South African Medical Research Council, South African Cochrane Centre
PO Box 19070, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
Telephone: +27 21 938 0835 or +27 21 938 0967
Email: pactradmin@mrc.ac.za Website: pactr.samrc.ac.za
Trial no.: PACTR202609818510320 Date of Registration: 10/09/2026
Trial Status: Retrospective registration - This trial was registered after enrolment of the first participant
TRIAL DESCRIPTION
Public title Pre-Shift Exercise for Burnout and Well-Being in Healthcare Workers: A Pilot Randomised Study in Sudan
Official scientific title Exploring the Impact of Physical Activity Patterns on Burnout and Happiness Among Health Care Workers at Dongola Hospital, Sudan, 2026
Brief summary describing the background and objectives of the trial Healthcare workers may experience occupational burnout, work-related stress and reduced well-being, particularly in demanding clinical environments. Regular physical activity may have beneficial effects on psychological well-being and work-related health; however, evidence on the feasibility and potential effects of brief structured exercise immediately before clinical shifts is limited, particularly in resource-limited settings such as Sudan. This pilot randomised study assessed the feasibility and preliminary effects of 14 days of 20-minute moderate-intensity pre-shift exercise on burnout-related scores, subjective happiness, perceived energy, work-related stress and blood pressure among healthcare workers at Dongola Specialized Hospital, Sudan.
Type of trial RCT
Acronym (If the trial has an acronym then please provide)
Disease(s) or condition(s) being studied Occupational burnout and well-being among healthcare workers
Sub-Disease(s) or condition(s) being studied
Purpose of the trial Feasibility and preliminary evaluation of a pre-shift exercise intervention
Anticipated trial start date 28/06/2026
Actual trial start date 28/06/2026
Anticipated date of last follow up 11/07/2026
Actual Last follow-up date 11/07/2026
Anticipated target sample size (number of participants) 30
Actual target sample size (number of participants) 30
Recruitment status Completed
Publication URL
Secondary Ids Issuing authority/Trial register
STUDY DESIGN
Intervention assignment Allocation to intervention If randomised, describe how the allocation sequence was generated Describe how the allocation sequence/code was concealed from the person allocating the participants to the intervention arms Masking If masking / blinding was used
Parallel: different groups receive different interventions at same time during study Randomised Simple randomization using by using procedures such as coin-tossing or dice-rolling Allocation Sequence/Code was not concealed Open-label(Masking Not Used)
INTERVENTIONS
Intervention type Intervention name Dose Duration Intervention description Group size Nature of control
Experimental Group Pre shift moderate intensity exercise One 20-minute session before the clinical shift 14 days A 20-minute pre-shift exercise session consisting of a 2-minute warm-up, approximately 10 minutes of stair climbing and descending, 3 minutes of brisk walking or light jogging, and a 5-minute cool-down with stretching. 15
Control Group Usual pre shift routine No structured exercise intervention 14 days Participants continued their usual pre-shift routine and did not receive the structured exercise programme. 15 Active-Treatment of Control Group
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
List inclusion criteria List exclusion criteria Age Category Minimum age Maximum age Gender
Adult healthcare worker working in the Emergency Department and/or Intensive Care Unit No known contraindication to moderate-intensity exercise Able and willing to provide informed consent and take part in the study procedures Known psychiatric illness that could interfere with participation Pregnancy Physical disability or medical condition preventing moderate-intensity exercise 80 and over: 80+ Year,Adult: 18 Year(s)-44 Year(s),Aged: 65 Year(s)-79 Year(s),Middle Aged: 45 Year(s)-64 Year(s) 18 Year(s) 100 Year(s) Both
ETHICS APPROVAL
Has the study received appropriate ethics committee approval Date the study will be submitted for approval Date of approval Name of the ethics committee
Yes 21/06/2026 Scientific Research Ethics Committee Al Neelain University
Ethics Committee Address
Street address City Postal code Country
El Gamhuriya Avenue, Al Neelain University Khartoum 1702 Sudan
OUTCOMES
Type of outcome Outcome Timepoint(s) at which outcome measured
Primary Outcome Feasibility of the 14-day pre-shift exercise programme, assessed by exercise adherence, reported symptoms and participant acceptability. Throughout the 14-day intervention and at Day 14
Secondary Outcome Burnout-related domain scores: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment Baseline and Day 14
Secondary Outcome Subjective happiness measured using the Subjective Happiness Scale Baseline and Day 14
Secondary Outcome Perceived energy at work measured using a five-point rating item Baseline and Day 14
Secondary Outcome Work-related stress, conflict, mental exhaustion and work-life balance. Baseline and Day 14
Secondary Outcome Pre-shift and post-shift systolic and diastolic blood pressure Day 1 and Day 14
RECRUITMENT CENTRES
Name of recruitment centre Street address City Postal code Country
Dongola Specialized Hospital Dongola Specialized Hospital, Dongola, Northern State Dongola Sudan
FUNDING SOURCES
Name of source Street address City Postal code Country
Waleed Khalid Khalafallah Khalid Almoya street Shambat Bahri Khartoum 249 Sudan
SPONSORS
Sponsor level Name Street address City Postal code Country Nature of sponsor
Primary Sponsor Waleed Khalid Almoya Street Shambat Bahri Khartoum 249 Sudan Individual
COLLABORATORS
Name Street address City Postal code Country
CONTACT PEOPLE
Role Name Email Phone Street address
Principal Investigator Waleed Khalid Khalafallah Khalid deeloo121@live.com +249923939551 Almoya Street Shambat
City Postal code Country Position/Affiliation
Bahri Khartoum 249 Sudan MSc Candidate College of Graduate Studies Department of Physiology Alneelain University Khartoum Sudan
Role Name Email Phone Street address
Public Enquiries Waleed Khalid Khalafallah Khalid deeloo121@live.com +249923939551 Almoya Street Shambat
City Postal code Country Position/Affiliation
Bahri Khartoum 249 Sudan MSc Candidate College of Graduate Studies Department of Physiology Alneelain University Khartoum Sudan
Role Name Email Phone Street address
Scientific Enquiries Lamis Kaddam lamiskaddam@hotmail.com +249912979736 El Gamhuriya Avenue, Al Neelain University
City Postal code Country Position/Affiliation
Khartoum 249 Sudan Associate Professor of Human Physiology Department of Physiology Faculty of Medicine Alneelain University Khartoum Sudan
REPORTING
Share IPD Description Additional Document Types Sharing Time Frame Key Access Criteria
Yes Individual participant data will not be made publicly available. De-identified data may be considered upon reasonable request to the principal investigator, subject to ethical approval, participant confidentiality and appropriate data protection requirements. Informed Consent Form,Study Protocol After publication of the primary study results Requests will be considered from qualified researchers with a scientifically valid proposal. Access will require approval from the principal investigator and, where applicable, relevant ethics approval. Only de-identified data will be considered for sharing.
URL Results Available Results Summary Result Posting Date First Journal Publication Date
Yes 27/08/2026
Result Upload 1: Result Upload 2: Result Upload 3: Result Upload 4: Result Upload 5:
Result - 27/08/2026
Result URL Hyperlinks Link To Protocol
Result URL Hyperlinks
Changes to trial information
Section Name Field Name Date Reason Old Value Updated Value
Trial Information Trial description 04/09/2026 Updated in response to the reviewer’s comment to include a brief background to the study. This pilot randomised study assessed the feasibility and preliminary effects of 14 days of 20-minute moderate-intensity pre-shift exercise on burnout-related scores, subjective happiness, perceived energy, work-related stress and blood pressure among healthcare workers at Dongola Specialized Hospital, Sudan. Healthcare workers may experience occupational burnout, work-related stress and reduced well-being, particularly in demanding clinical environments. Regular physical activity may have beneficial effects on psychological well-being and work-related health; however, evidence on the feasibility and potential effects of brief structured exercise immediately before clinical shifts is limited, particularly in resource-limited settings such as Sudan. This pilot randomised study assessed the feasibility and preliminary effects of 14 days of 20-minute moderate-intensity pre-shift exercise on burnout-related scores, subjective happiness, perceived energy, work-related stress and blood pressure among healthcare workers at Dongola Specialized Hospital, Sudan.
Section Name Field Name Date Reason Old Value Updated Value
Funding Source FundingSources List 04/09/2026 Updated in response to the reviewer’s comment to provide the actual name of the individual funding the study. Principal Investigator, Almoya street Shambat, Bahri Khartoum, 249, Sudan, Self Funded, Waleed Khalid Khalafallah Khalid, Almoya street Shambat, Bahri Khartoum, 249, Sudan, Self Funded,