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NCT Number: NCT07791563

Digital Intervention for Healthcare Workers

The goal of this clinical trial is to test which engagement strategies lead to more participation in a digital mental health program among healthcare workers. The main questions it aims to answer is:

* Does content tailoring increase engagement with the digital program? * Does human support increase engagement with the digital program?

Researchers will compare the general intervention to a tailored intervention and to the tailored intervention with human support coaching to see what leads to more engagement with/use of the program.

Participants will:

* Use a digital program weekly for 6 weeks * Complete questionnaires at 5 times: Start of study, Week 2, Week 3 (mid-program), Week 6 (end of program), and Week 10 (follow-up)

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Key information

Conditions

Healthcare Workforce Well-Being

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 18 years or older, all sexes
  • Currently working in healthcare in the US with at least 4 hours per week of direct patient contact
  • Stable access to internet
  • Have a total score between 3-14 on the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), suggestive of mild to moderate depressive symptoms

Exclusion criteria

  • Have a total score of ≥15 on the PHQ-9, indicating Severe Depressive symptoms.
  • Currently diagnosed with a psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder, based on self-report.
  • Currently receiving psychotherapy for depression or anxiety based on self-report; If on medications for depression or anxiety, must be on a stable dose of medication for at least 2 weeks.

Treatment and study plan

Engage

Behavioral

The digital mental health intervention is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy principles and consists of learning modules covering basic skills (e.g., behavioral activation) and interactive tools to assist in learning and implementing the skills associated with the learning modules. Interactive tools are designed to support implementation of cognitive behavioral skills including activity scheduling and monitoring, cognitive restructuring, goal setting, relaxation, and mood tracking.

HCW-Tailored Engage

Behavioral

The digital mental health intervention is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy principles and consists of learning modules covering basic skills (e.g., behavioral activation) and interactive tools to assist in learning and implementing the skills associated with the learning modules. Interactive tools are designed to support implementation of cognitive behavioral skills including activity scheduling and monitoring, cognitive restructuring, goal setting, relaxation, and mood tracking. This version of the intervention contains content tailored specifically for healthcare workers, based on findings from a co-design, qualitative focus group process.

Primary outcomes

  1. Engagement with the intervention (subjective)

    Time frame: From start of intervention to end of intervention period at 6 weeks.

    The primary outcome is engagement with intervention. Subjective engagement will be measured via the TWente Engagement with Ehealth Technologies Scale (TWEETS), a 9-item measure aimed at assessing behavioral engagement, cognitive engagement, and affective engagement. A higher total score reflects a greater, more positive engagement with the digital health intervention.

  2. Engagement - Number of Lessons

    Time frame: From start of intervention to end of intervention period at 6 weeks.

    An objective measure of engagement with the digital intervention is number of lessons read (i.e., module completion). More lessons read reflects more engagement with the intervention.

  3. Engagement - Number of Tools

    Time frame: From start of intervention to end of intervention period at 6 weeks.

    An objective measure of engagement with the digital intervention is number of tools completed (i.e., tool usage). More tools completed reflects more engagement with the intervention.

  4. Engagement - Duration of Time

    Time frame: From start of intervention to end of intervention period at 6 weeks.

    An objective measure of engagement with the digital intervention is the duration of time participants spend on the digital intervention site. More time on the site reflects more engagement with the intervention.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Burnout

    Time frame: From baseline to follow-up at 10 weeks.

    Burnout is measured via the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, a validated 16-item survey with positively and negatively framed items that cover 2 areas: exhaustion (physical, cognitive, and affective aspects) and disengagement from work (negative attitudes toward work objects, work content, or work in general). Scores on the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory can be presented as an overall total (range 16 to 64). Higher total scores indicate a higher level of burnout.

  2. Depressive Symptoms

    Time frame: From baseline to follow-up at 10 weeks.

    Depressive symptoms are measured via the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), a validated 9-item multipurpose instrument for screening, monitoring, and measuring depression, asking participants to rate their frequency of DSM symptoms over the past 2 weeks. PHQ-9 scores are obtained by adding score for each question (total points). Total scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 represent cut-points for mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression, respectively. Higher scores reflect more depressive symptoms.

  3. Anxiety symptoms

    Time frame: From baseline to follow-up at 10 weeks.

    The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) is a validated 7-item practical self-report anxiety questionnaire, asking participants to rate their frequency of symptoms over the past 2 weeks. GAD-7 score obtained by adding score for each question (total points). Total scores of 5, 10, and 15 represent cut-points for mild, moderate, and severe anxiety. Higher scores reflect more anxiety.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Jennifer Duffecy, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

312-413-1225

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Illinois at Chicago

Other

Collaborators

  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Registry information

Official study title

Enhancing Sustained Engagement in Digital Mental Health Interventions (DMHIs)

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Aug 28, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 28, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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