We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Eli Puterman has received a CIHR Project Grant for his project Remote Exercise iNtErvention for Wellbeing (RENEW) Trial: A 2-arm randomized at-home, app-based exercise trial to improve adherence, mental health, and wellbeing of British Columbian healthcare workers
Alongside Dr. Mark Beauchamp, Dr. Guy Faulkner, and Dr. Jasmin Ma, this proposed 6 month randomized trial will test whether providing 628 British Columbia healthcare workers with free exercise mobile apps, either with or without support from certified personal trainers using motivational interviewing, can improve app engagement and mental health outcomes.
The study addresses the critical need for scalable and sustainable interventions to support healthcare worker wellbeing, as our previous pilot work showed that while exercise apps reduced depression and burnout in healthcare workers, engagement rates remained low at only 23%.
The trial aims to determine if personal trainer support can increase app usage and subsequently improve mental health, burnout, and occupational functioning among both direct care and support healthcare staff across all BC health authorities.