Remote Physiologic Monitoring of Resident Wellness and Burnout

Resident wellness and physician burnout are under the spotlight more and more as data begins to show that there is a point of diminishing return on the number of hours in training. In 2003, resident work hours were restricted to less than 80 hours per week averaged over 4 weeks. This change was implemented in response to the robust body of evidence that increased work hours leads to decreased sleep, which in turn leads to medical errors and depression. These factors directly and indirectly lead to worse outcomes for patients. In residency, it is difficult objectively to assess when residents are beginning to experience burnout and depression. The investigators propose a study to determine whether tracking of certain heart rate parameters (resting heart rate and heart rate variability) as well as sleep can correlate to subjective assessment of resident wellness, burnout and depression. The investigators will also compare these measures to biomarkers of stress, such as salivary cortisol. The results of this study may lead to improved understanding of what truly causes burnout and may be an eventual target for intervention to help improve short- and long-term outcomes for resident physicians as well as their patients.