A Pilot Study Examining Biofeedback and Structured Napping to Promote Medical Student Wellbeing.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. To examine medical students' engagement in wellness activities and evaluate the effects of biofeedback and structured napping on measures of stress, burnout and wellbeing. A randomized trial of heart-rate variability (HRV) biofeedback and structured napping used by pre-clinical medical students at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine compared with a control group was conducted. Baseline measurement occurred in August 2016 with the follow-up period in March 2017. To measure biofeedback, participants used Heartmath Biofeedback® with Inner Balance® software to record HRV measurements while they engaged in self-guided breathing three times weekly. The biofeedback device connected to participants' iPhone or iPad with a sensor that clipped to users' earlobes. HRV recordings were stored in a heart-cloud database, and participants had the option to share their recordings with the researchers. Participants used sleep pods (MetroNaps Energy Pods®) to engage in 20-minute structured naps three times weekly. Participants completed six psychosocial self-report questionnaires at baseline (T1) and two follow-up points (T2, T3). The questionnaires included the Interpersonal Reactivity Index; Perceived Stress Scale; Quality of life scale; Oldenburg Burnout Inventory; and the Physician Well-Being Index. Forty-two students enrolled in the study. Throughout the study, participants recorded 276 structured naps lasting approximately 20 minutes in duration and shared 24 personalized biofeedback recordings. Promotion of structured napping offers promise as an institution-initiated wellness intervention to promote medical students' mental health and wellbeing. HRV biofeedback warrants further study given the lack of conclusive findings in this study.