Baevsky's Stress Index as a Sensitive Indicator for Biofeedback Efficacy in Medical Students: a Pilot Study

Medical students often encounter stress, impacting their mental health and academic achievements. Biofeedback is an efficient stress management tool, but its efficacy in medical students is still poorly studied. A key biofeedback metric is heart rate variability (HRV), which detects stress through changes in autonomic nervous system activity. More advanced and sensitive metrics like Baevsky's Stress Index (BSI) have emerged. This study is the first to apply BSI in a medical student sample. We involved seven students who undertook 2-3 biofeedback sessions weekly for six weeks, using the emWave biofeedback program linked to a Zukor game. Both HRV and BSI were analyzed. Results showed a significant decrease (p=0.00781) in median BSI from 76.3 (IQR=52.1) to 45.2 (IQR=19.9), alongside improvements in HRV, suggesting a more relaxed state post-intervention. BSI offers deeper insights into individual stress levels and the impact of a 6-week biofeedback program on medical students. However, the small sample size and external variables necessitate further studies for validation.