Evaluating the impact of Apollo Neuro™ wearable on wellbeing in medical and pharmacy students: A preliminary prospective randomized controlled study
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Updated: Jun 29, 2026
A Community-based Stress Management Program: Using Wearable Devices to Assess Whole Body Physiological Responses in Non-laboratory Settings
Published on: January 22, 2018
Skye A McKennon1, Ross J Bindler2, Jennifer C Miller3
1Department of Medical Education and Clinical Sciences, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, USA; Department of Pharmacotherapy, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, USA.
Purpose:
Burnout affects up to 70% of US medical and pharmacy students, often accompanied by depression, anxiety, at-risk drinking, and suicidal ideation. While wellbeing interventions impacting mindfulness exist, they are often time- and cost-prohibitive. The Apollo Neuro™ (AN), a wearable device designed to regulate stress responses, may offer a low-burden alternative.
Methods:
This pilot study assessed AN's impact on stress and wellbeing among medical and pharmacy students. Sixty-six students were randomized 1:1 to either receive the device (Active group) or join a waitlist (Control). Participants completed surveys at baseline, 6-, and 12-weeks, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-2), Medical Student Well-Being Index (MSWBI), Perceived Stress Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C.
Results:
At 12 weeks, students using AN showed significant improvement in burnout (MBI-2 total, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization) and MSWBI scores compared to controls. No significant changes were seen in resilience or alcohol use.
Conclusions:
AN appears to be a feasible, efficacious tool for reducing burnout and improving wellbeing in health professional students, meriting further investigation.
