A Personalised Well-Being App for Staff Working in Healthcare Settings: A Pilot Feasibility Study

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. This study assessed the preliminary effectiveness of ‘OK Positive’, a new personalized mental health and well-being app (MHapp), aimed at improving well-being, psychological flexibility, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction in SWHS. Participants were provided access to the MHapp and prompted to complete online questionnaires every three days, at 30 and 60 days, to evaluate the impact of the MHapp. Out of 119 initial participants, only 22 completed the follow-up measures, yielding a response rate of 18%. SWHS initially self-reported moderate levels of burnout and compassion satisfaction, and low levels of secondary traumatic stress. Descriptive analyses revealed mixed results regarding the MHapp’s preliminary effectiveness and acceptability, highlighting challenges in user retention. While the MHapp showed preliminary support for improving well-being among a motivated subset of users, the study’s limitations emphasized the need for further research and organizational support. Therefore, future research is required to continue exploring the efficacy of interventions to meet the well-being and mental health needs of a diverse range of SWHS.