PQ Program Evaluation — Pilot RCT

Protocol 2026P000564 · Slavin Academy funded ·
Johanna Lee — PI / first author Jimin Kim — BWH site PI Dan S-K — senior author

What's due when

Countdowns update each time you open this page

Timeline (Gantt)

May'26
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'27
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
IRB expedited review
MyCAP build (control arm)
Manuscript outline
Recruitment ramp
6-wk program + T0/T1
Analysis → draft → submit
Milestones
Active Pending Milestone Slavin report Today

Study at a glance

PGY4 residents · MGH + BWH n ≤ 57 · optional loved-one dyad Baseline T0 SCS-SF · MBI-GS · PHQ-8 · GAD-7 Randomize 1:1 (by site) PQ program 6 wk · weekly video + daily reps Active control 6 wk · MyCap, time-matched Post T1 (~wk 8–12) Same 4 measures + feasibility / acceptability Unblinded · 1:1 · stratified by site · ~12 wk per participant
QuestionIs a 6-wk app-based mental-fitness program feasible & acceptable in anesthesiology residents, and what effect sizes does it produce?
DesignPilot RCT, 2-arm parallel, 1:1, multi-site, unblinded
ComparatorActive control (MyCap), matched for time + attention
Remuneration$40 (T0) + $60 (T1) = $100; lifetime PQ access
TargetJEPM original article (3000 words, 30 refs); present at SEA
PurposeFeasibility + effect-size data to power a future multi-site efficacy trial

Outcomes & measures

Primary Feasibility
OutcomeSpecific measure
Recruitment rate% of eligible PGY4 residents who consent
Dyadic enrollment rate% of consenting residents who enroll a loved one
Retention rate% of enrolled who complete the T1 assessment
AdherenceModule completion + daily engagement, from app/platform backend
Primary Acceptability draft — under revision
ConstructSpecific question
Net Promoter (NPS)"How likely are you to recommend the program to a colleague or fellow resident?" (0–10)
Overall satisfaction"Overall, how satisfied were you with the program you were assigned to?" (1–5)
Time manageability"How manageable was the time commitment for daily prompts and weekly modules?" (1–5)
Daily integration"I could easily integrate the daily exercises into my workday." (5-pt)
Scheduling burden"Finding time for the weekly 30-min videos was difficult." (5-pt, reverse)
Platform usability"The app / web platform was intuitive and easy to navigate." (5-pt)
Technical barriers"Did technical difficulties prevent completion?" (Yes/No + describe)
Open-endedMost beneficial? · Suggested improvements? · Biggest barrier to completion?
Redesign planned: current items mix acceptability with perceived efficacy (Kirkpatrick L1). Rebuild around validated implementation measures (AIM / IAM / FIM, Weiner 2017) so acceptability stays cleanly separable from the efficacy signal and is interpretable to reviewers.
Secondary Preliminary psychological — T0→T1 change by arm (Cohen's d)
MeasureConstructFormat
SCS-SFSelf-compassion (planned primary outcome of the future trial)12 items, 5-pt
MBI-GS (abbrev.)Burnout: exhaustion, cynicism, professional efficacyLikert frequency
PHQ-8Depressive symptoms8 items, 0–3
GAD-7Anxiety symptoms7 items, 0–3
Analysis is descriptive: feasibility/acceptability as percentages; psychological change as effect sizes (Cohen's d, 95% CI) via independent t-tests / ANCOVA (Mann-Whitney if non-normal). p-values exploratory only — no a priori power analysis (pilot).

Who's who

Johanna Lee, MD
PI & first author
MGH Anesthesia, Assistant PD. Owns IRB, MyCAP build, recruitment, analysis, and manuscript. Slavin grant PI.
Jimin Kim, MD
BWH site PI
Incoming BWH Anesthesiology PD (7/1/26). Advising + BWH recruitment; limited bandwidth for execution.
Dan Saddawi-Konefka, MD, MBA
Senior author / co-I
Mentor. Methodology, framing, writing, and air cover for resident recruitment via the APD team.
Ariel Mueller
ARC Director
MGH Anesthesia Research Center. Route to research coordinator + biostatistician (both Slavin-funded). Engage post-IRB.
Positive Intelligence, Inc.
Vendor
Provides the PQ platform free for this and future studies. Needs an executed Data Use Agreement (post-IRB).
Shirzad Chamine
External stakeholder
PQ creator. Not on protocol (kept independent). Milestone-only updates; Dan owns that channel.