The Potential of Real-Time Behavior and Well-Being Assessments to Improve Medical Student Wellness.

Abstract

Medical students experience psychological distress more frequently than age-matched peers. Tracking medical student well-being has typically been limited to once- or twice-per-year questionnaires. Ongoing, real-time assessment of student behavior and well-being could facilitate individualized, timely interventions. Faculty at the University of Vermont, in conjunction with the Larner College of Medicine Office of Medical Education, developed a novel smartphone app in 2021 called WE MD to track and support medical student wellness. The app included the following features: 1) nightly surveys assessing wellness-related behaviors (e.g., social interaction, sleep, exercise) and outcomes (i.e., mood, focus, stress, overall well-being); 2) health reports that enabled users to graph various combinations of their own behaviors and outcomes, allowing them to visualize trends and understand possible correlations between behaviors and outcomes; 3) a resource library with articles and educational videos related to specific wellness behaviors or outcomes; and 4) research-based "insights" or brief tips intended to promote healthy habits. Participants also received virtual "coins" for interacting with the app that could be exchanged for various items in an online store. The WE MD program enrolled a substantial portion of the medical school population (43%); most of the students used the app on a regular basis. Students found the app to be acceptable and appreciated many features and also provided feedback on how to improve the app. Information from the nightly survey data converged with established measures but also identified variability over time in wellness behaviors and outcomes. Data from the WE MD program suggest that app-based daily tracking of wellness behaviors and outcomes is a feasible, promising approach to promote student wellness and identify real-time patterns and risk periods for medical students. The app will be revised based on student feedback and adapted for use by students, residents, and faculty.