Designing a Wellness Initiative Residents Actually Use: Data from Four Years of Opt-Out Check-Ins

Authors

Meghan O’Meara, PhD, LPC, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Alexandra Hughes, LCSW, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Shawn Blue, PsyD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Emily Lisco, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow

Files

Description

Background

• Resident well-being remains a critical concern in GME, with increasing rates of burnout, mental health challenges, and persistent barriers to accessing care.^2,4
• Burnout among residents is linked to higher rates of medical errors and lower patient satisfaction.^4,5
• ACGME emphasizes the importance of fostering a culture of wellness including the opportunity for residents to attend healthcare appointments during working hours; however, programs often struggle to translate these goals into sustainable, practical interventions.¹
• Opt-out programs have been used to target residents and medical students to increase help-seeking and provide access to mental health care with limited barriers.
• Stigma, time constraints, financial barriers, and long waitlists can further deter residents from seeking support.^3,4,5
• Opt-in programs require residents to self-schedule and often have low engagement; opt-out programs automatically schedule sessions, increasing participation and normalizing mental health care.^4,5

Publication Date

2-11-2026

Keywords

GME, opt-outs, check-ins, wellness interventions, well-being

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Psychiatry

Comments

Presented at the 2026 ACGME Annual Educational Conference: Meaning in Medicine.

Recommended Citation

O’Meara, PhD, LPC, Meghan; Hughes, LCSW, Alexandra; Blue, PsyD, Shawn; and Lisco, MD, Emily, "Designing a Wellness Initiative Residents Actually Use: Data from Four Years of Opt-Out Check-Ins" (2026). Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Posters. 9.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/phbposters/9