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Opportunities and Challenges in Using Smartphone Sensor Data to Capture Surgeon Behavior and Well-Being: A
Joseph M Tarquine1, Alayna M Robinson1, Chelsea R Olson2
1University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, Memphis, Tennessee.
Objective:
Burnout is common among surgical trainees, but behaviors underlying resident well-being are poorly understood. Digital phenotyping, a research methodology involving smartphone sensor data collection, may provide new insights into residents' physical and psychosocial functioning. Resident perspectives on this approach have not been defined.
Design:
Resident focus groups were conducted with a structured interview guide to elicit perspectives on wellness and digital phenotyping. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and double-coded in NVivo. Thematic analysis was performed. A post-focus group survey was administered and analyzed.
Setting:
University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN. Level of clinical care: Institutional.
Participants:
General surgery residents from all PGY classes at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center were recruited for focus groups; participation in focus groups was voluntary. There were four focus groups with a total of 16 residents. The number of residents per focus group varied. All 16 residents stayed until the end of the focus group and completed the post-focus group survey.
Results:
Residents agreed that wellness was multifaceted and highly individualized. Residents expressed that training programs held some responsibility for their well-being, but were conflicted as to the extent that faculty should know or intervene upon their wellness. Their views on wellness also shaped their perspective on and willingness to engage with wellness initiatives such as those that would employ digital phenotyping. Residents acknowledged that smartphone data could capture aspects of behavior, yet questioned the impact of this information on their wellness and training experiences. Most residents were open to having their smartphone data collected for research, with survey responses supporting focus group themes.
Conclusions:
Trainees are willing to participate in digital phenotyping efforts if performed with transparency and adequate data protection. Further research is needed to define digital phenotyping's utility in studying resident wellness.
