Jefferson Health Turns to Digital Health to Address Staff Stress, Burnout

Philadelphia's Jefferson Health is one of many healthcare organizations using mHealth platforms and virtual visits to address the soaring rate of stress, anxiety, depression and burnout among staff and employees.

A Philadelphia-based university and health system is launching a digital health platform to help students and staff access behavioral health and self-care resources.

Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health announced earlier this month that it would make the NeuroFlow mHealth app and platform available to “employees, faculty and students across Jefferson’s university, clinical and corporate services settings.” The platform developed by NeuroFlow, a Philadelphia-based startup, offers digital access to surveys, reminders, symptom trackers, exercises and other tailored content aimed at helping people dealing with behavioral health concerns.

“COVID-19 challenged healthcare workers across the world like we have never seen in our lifetimes,” Jefferson Health President Bruce A. Meyer, MD, MBA, said in a press release. “This was something our employees asked for, and we believe this partnership, in addition to an expanded program for prioritizing holistic health and well-being, can make a true difference whether on the job or at home with family members.”

With stress, depression, anxiety, and burnout surging across the country, especially in healthcare settings, healthcare organizations are beefing up their support services or launching new programs aimed at giving employees access to on-demand help, either in person or through virtual platforms. This might include virtual visits with behavioral health specialists, mHealth apps that connect to resources, even platforms that enable the user to manage his or her own care and connect to counselors when needed.

Jefferson Health deployed the NeuroFlow platform to patients in the 14-hospital system in 2019, and began making those services available to students this past summer. The health system also conducted a pilot program with some 1,000 employees, and found that participants were completing, on average, 20 activities during their first month.

Healthcare administrators say digital health tools not only allow staff to self-manage and move at their own pace, using resources tailored to their concerns, but also allow the organization to expand its reach and push resources where they’re most needed – either in terms of treatments needed or areas where employee stress and burnout is high.