From burnout to resilience: A clinician-codesigned digital mindfulness intervention for nurses and resident physicians

Abstract

Objective Burnout is a persistent issue among healthcare professionals, impairing both patient care and provider well-being. This pilot feasibility study evaluated the preliminary effects of a brief, mobile app–based mindfulness training (MT) program, developed using a user-centered design approach, in reducing burnout and improving psychological outcomes among registered nurses and resident physicians. Methods Two single-arm pilot trials were conducted. Participants completed the digital MT intervention and online assessments at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. Study 1 included 27 registered nurses; Study 2 included 29 resident physicians. While the intervention consisted of seven digital modules, the average completion time was 28 days (SD = 15) for nurses and 30 days (SD = 16) for residents, reflecting a self-paced delivery model. The primary outcome was cynicism, with secondary outcomes including emotional exhaustion, anxiety, depression, intolerance of uncertainty, self-compassion, nonreactivity, non-judgment, worry, sleep disturbances, and emotion regulation difficulties. Results Among nurses, significant reductions were associated with participation for cynicism (27%) and emotional exhaustion (28%), with decreased scores maintained at follow-up. Additional post-intervention improvements included reduced anxiety (46%), depression (52%), worry (7%), sleep disturbances (16%), and emotion regulation difficulties (11%). Increases were also found in self-compassion (13%), nonreactivity (8%), and non-judgment (9%). Among residents, significant reductions in cynicism did not persist after correction for multiple comparisons. However, residents showed significant reductions in emotional exhaustion (19%), anxiety (32%), intolerance of uncertainty (14%), emotion regulation difficulties (13%) and sleep disturbances (15%) at follow-up as well as early increases in self-compassion (21%) and nonreactivity (19%) and reduction in worry (13%). Emotional exhaustion and anxiety were consistently correlated across time points in both groups. Conclusions These findings replicate and extend previous evidence among physicians, supporting the feasibility and preliminary benefits of brief and self-paced app-based mindfulness training (MT) in addressing burnout and anxiety among both nurses and residents. These pilot results provide a basis for future randomized controlled trials to further evaluate the intervention's effectiveness.