TY - JOUR
T1 - A Self‐Monitoring Mobile App to Mitigate Risk Factors for Suicide and Self‐Harm in Junior (Resident) Doctors: A Review, Thematic Analysis and Concept Proposal
AU - Shankar, Rohit
PY - 2025/5/6
Y1 - 2025/5/6
N2 - Doctors, particularly those in training in the UK, are exposed to high levels of stress in their work, which can lead to burnout and mental health problems. According to the health and safety executive (HSE) Management UK standards, employers should recognise and minimise work-related stress for staff. Our review looks to examine if known risk factors for suicide and self-harm in doctors align with the themes of the HSE management standards on stress control i.e., demand, control, support, relationships, role, and change and if so, could this be used to build a self-awareness digital application. Four research databases were searched using combinations of text words and thesaurus terms and predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria for relevant article retrieval. A thematic analysis was undertaken, aligning articles to their respective HSE standards. Twenty-six articles met the full inclusion criteria. 96.2% (25/26 papers) mentioned or aligned at least one of the HSE management standards, with 44% discussing three or more. Work-related risk factors for self-harm and suicide in doctors link well to the HSE management standards. We conceptualise a self-monitoring digital well-being tool for doctors to monitor stress.
AB - Doctors, particularly those in training in the UK, are exposed to high levels of stress in their work, which can lead to burnout and mental health problems. According to the health and safety executive (HSE) Management UK standards, employers should recognise and minimise work-related stress for staff. Our review looks to examine if known risk factors for suicide and self-harm in doctors align with the themes of the HSE management standards on stress control i.e., demand, control, support, relationships, role, and change and if so, could this be used to build a self-awareness digital application. Four research databases were searched using combinations of text words and thesaurus terms and predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria for relevant article retrieval. A thematic analysis was undertaken, aligning articles to their respective HSE standards. Twenty-six articles met the full inclusion criteria. 96.2% (25/26 papers) mentioned or aligned at least one of the HSE management standards, with 44% discussing three or more. Work-related risk factors for self-harm and suicide in doctors link well to the HSE management standards. We conceptualise a self-monitoring digital well-being tool for doctors to monitor stress.
KW - digital app
KW - doctors mental health
KW - mental stress
KW - self-harm
KW - self-injury
KW - suicide ideation
UR - https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/context/pms-research/article/2837/viewcontent/Healthcare_Tech_Letters___2025___Leslie___A_Self_Monitoring_Mobile_App_to_Mitigate_Risk_Factors_for_Suicide_and_Self_Harm.pdf
U2 - 10.1049/htl2.70009
DO - 10.1049/htl2.70009
M3 - Review article
C2 - 40330738
SN - 2053-3713
VL - 12
SP - e70009
JO - Healthcare Technology Letters
JF - Healthcare Technology Letters
IS - 1
M1 - e70009
ER -