Reducing Burnout by Developing Mindfulness: A Pilot Study of a Micro-Habit Mobile Application.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Burnout syndrome, characterized by emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, affects medical students early in their training.
• Student burnout is linked to adverse outcomes including poor academic performance and distress.
• Mindfulness and social support are recognized as protective factors against burnout.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a novel wellness program utilizing daily mindfulness-based micro-habit training.
• To evaluate the impact of a brief, app-delivered intervention on medical student burnout.

Main Methods:

• A single-group, eight-week before-and-after study design was employed.
• Twelve medical students participated in the intervention, which included daily 90-second mindfulness exercises via a mobile app and weekly peer support.
• Burnout and stress levels were measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS21).

Main Results:

• A significant decrease in emotional exhaustion was observed among participants who completed the post-intervention Maslach inventory (P = .03, large effect size d = 0.99).
• A non-significant but considerable reduction in anxiety symptoms was noted in those completing the DASS21 (d = 0.57).

Conclusions:

• Brief mindfulness-based micro-habit interventions can effectively reduce burnout symptoms in medical students.
• The app-delivered wellness program is a feasible approach for busy students.
• Further research with larger cohorts is warranted to confirm these findings.