A personalised well-being app for staff working in healthcare settings: A pilot feasibility study

Background: The mental health and well-being of staff working in healthcare settings (SWHS) is an urgent global public health priority and an issue of significant importance to society.
Aims: To explore the preliminary effectiveness of ‘OK Positive’, a new personalised mental health and well-being app (MHapp), and see if it can help improve well-being, psychological flexibility, burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS), and compassion satisfaction (CS) in SWHS.
Methods: A pilot feasibility study design was used. SWHS were given access to the MHapp and encouraged to complete a series of online questionnaires, initially every three days and after 30 and 60 days. This helped track the MHapp’s effects on well-being, burnout, STS, CS, and psychological flexibility.
Results: A total of 119 SWHS completed the baseline measures and self-reported moderate burnout, CS levels, and low STS levels. However, only 22 staff completed the follow-up outcome measures at the end of the intervention, representing a response rate of 18%. Descriptive analyses found mixed findings suggesting the preliminary effectiveness, acceptability, and challenges in the feasibility of using the OK Positive MHapp for SWHS, as retention was a challenge throughout.
Conclusions: This study provides preliminary support for the personalised MHapp for the well-being of a minority of users motivated to use digital interventions. However, considering the study limitations and preliminary supportive findings of the MHapp, future research and organisational support are required to continue to explore the efficacy of interventions to meet the well-being and mental health needs of a diverse range of SWHS.