Web-Based Tools and Mobile Applications To Mitigate Burnout, Depression, and Suicidality Among Healthcare Students and Professionals: a Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: Being a healthcare professional can be a uniquely rewarding calling. However, the demands of training and practice can lead to chronic distress and serious psychological, interpersonal, and personal health burdens. Although higher burnout, depression, and suicide rates have been reported in healthcare professionals, only a minority receive treatment. Concerns regarding confidentiality, stigma, potential career implications, and cost and time constraints are cited as key barriers. Web-based and mobile applications have been shown to mitigate stress, burnout, depression, and suicidal ideation among several populations and may circumvent these barriers. Here, we reviewed published data on such resources and selected a small sample that readily can be used by healthcare providers.

Methods: We searched PubMed for articles evaluating stress, burnout, depression, and suicide prevention or intervention for healthcare students or providers and identified five categories of programs with significant effectiveness: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (online), meditation, mindfulness, breathing, and relaxation techniques. Using these categories, we searched for Web-based (through Google and beacon.anu.edu.au -a wellness resource website) and mobile applications (Apple and mobile. va.gov/appstore ) for stress, burnout, depression, and suicide prevention and identified 36 resources to further evaluate based on relevance, applicability to healthcare providers (confidentiality, convenience, and cost), and the strength of findings supporting their effectiveness.

Results: We selected seven resources under five general categories designed to foster wellness and reduce burnout, depression, and suicide risk among healthcare workers: breathing (Breath2Relax), meditation (Headspace, guided meditation audios), Web-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MoodGYM, Stress Gym), and suicide prevention apps (Stay Alive, Virtual Hope Box).

Conclusions: This list serves as a starting point to enhance coping with stressors as a healthcare student or professional in order to help mitigate burnout, depression, and suicidality. The next steps include adapting digital health strategies to specifically fit the needs of healthcare providers, with the ultimate goal of facilitating in-person care when warranted.

Keywords: Burnout; Depression; Mobile applications; Suicide prevention; Web applications.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1

Spectrum of healthcare student and professional distress. We conceptualize a spectrum of workplace stress in healthcare students and professionals. To the left is school and workplace stress, which are pervasive in healthcare. Without the proper support to facilitate coping skills, chronic workplace stress can lead to burnout, which can be distressing in its mildest form and debilitating when severe. In susceptible individuals, chronic workplace stressors can trigger or exacerbate Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) or even intensify suicidal ideations.