Intern Health Study 2025

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Depression - Major Depressive Disorder; Mood; Sleep; Physical Activity

• Registration Number: NCT07052357
• Lead Sponsor: University of Michigan

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of using a reinforcement learning algorithm to determine the optimal content of a mobile health intervention (message delivered via smartphone) for improving the mood, physical activity, and sleep of medical interns.

Detailed Description

Due to their high workloads, less sleep and physical activity and other stressors, medical interns suffer from depression at higher rates than the general population. The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a mobile health intervention intending to help prevent the degradation of health behaviors and the development of depression. The intervention sends mobile phone notifications which aim to help interns improve their mood, maintain physical activity, and obtain adequate sleep during their internship year. A reinforcement learning algorithm will use prior survey, daily mood, and wearable data to make three types of choices each day: 1) whether to send a message or not on a given day, and, if sending a message, 2) the therapeutic strategy (Behavioral Strategy, Cognitive Strategy, Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, Distanced Self-Talk), and 3) whether or not to include feedback (the intern's own data) in the message.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2025-04-03
• Status Verified: 2025-06
• Study First Submitted: 2025-06-26
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-06-26
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-06-26
• Study First Posted: 2025-07-04
• Last Update Posted: 2025-07-04
• Primary Completion: 2026-06-30
• Study Completion: 2026-06-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 1000

Inclusion Criteria

• Medical intern during the 2025-2026 internship year
• iPhone or Android phone user
• Completed the Intern Health Study consent and baseline survey by June 20 prior to the start of intern year

Exclusion Criteria

• None

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Average daily mood	Daily, through study completion at the end of intern year (1 year)	Through the mobile app, participants enter a mood score (scale 1 - 10) every day of the study. 1 corresponds to lowest mood and 10 corresponds to highest mood.
Average daily step count	Daily, through study completion at the end of intern year (1 year)	Participant's daily step counts are recorded through a fitness tracker. High step counts are considered a positive outcome as it indicates more physical activity.
Average nightly sleep duration	Daily, through study completion at the end of intern year (1 year)	Participant's nightly sleep duration (in minutes) is recorded through a fitness tracker. High sleep duration is considered a positive outcome.
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)	Quarterly (every 3 months for 1 year)	Prior to the start of the intervention and at quarterly intervals throughout internship year, all participants complete the Patient Health Questionnaire 9. High scores on the PHQ-9 correspond to a larger number of depressive symptoms.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Michigan; 🇺🇸 Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States