Leveraging digital therapeutics to improve physician sleep: a pilot implementation study

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Sleep Medicine
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Physician burnout is a significant concern, often linked to sleep disturbances.
• Effective interventions are needed to support physician mental health and well-being.
• Sleep disturbance is a key predictor of burnout.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a web-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) program for physicians.
• To assess physician engagement and satisfaction with a self-guided digital CBTi tool.
• To explore the impact of the intervention on insomnia severity and sleep-related impairment.

Main Methods:

• A pilot implementation study involving physicians accessing the Sleep Healthy Using the Internet (SHUT-i) program.
• SHUT-i is a six-session, self-guided, web-based CBTi treatment.
• Data collected on platform engagement, session completion, user satisfaction, and pre/post-intervention sleep metrics.

Main Results:

• 44.1% of physicians engaged with the SHUT-i platform, with 23.5% completing all six sessions.
• Completers reported high satisfaction with session length, time commitment, and accessibility.
• 75% of completers would recommend the program to colleagues.
• Intervention was associated with reduced insomnia severity, sleep disturbance, and sleep-related impairment.

Conclusions:

• The web-based CBTi program (SHUT-i) shows promise as a scalable intervention for physician insomnia.
• Digital CBTi may be a valuable tool for improving physician sleep health and mitigating burnout.
• Further research is warranted to confirm effectiveness in larger cohorts.