Health Care Workers' Need for Headspace: Findings From a Multisite Definitive Randomized Controlled Trial of an Unguided Digital Mindfulness-Based Self-help App to Reduce Healthcare Worker Stress.
Taylor H, Cavanagh K, Field AP, Strauss C. · JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022 · Randomized controlled trial
Original publication · Original publication · Original publication
Recorded summary
In 2,182 NHS staff, a digital mindfulness app produced a small but statistically significant reduction in stress relative to an active digital control over 4.5 months, with additional benefits on several wellbeing measures.
Recorded limitations
Effects were small and burnout and sickness absence did not improve significantly. Engagement was limited; this supports a scalable adjunct rather than a substitute for organisational support.
Evidence and provenance
Chapter Trust Factor uses a minimum of three distinct qualifying studies. Publication records retain their own evidence and assessment.
Study design and assessment
- design
- Randomized controlled trial
- assessment
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006668/ · https://doi.org/10.2196/31744 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9459942/
- assessed At
- 2026-10-26
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- trust Factor
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006668/ · https://doi.org/10.2196/31744 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9459942/
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- evidence
- intervention
- Unguided Headspace mindfulness app
- comparator
- Moodzone active digital control
- evidence Type
- Clinical or experimental outcomes
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006668/ · https://doi.org/10.2196/31744 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9459942/
- checked At
- 2026-10-26
- review Scope
- Primary publication abstract and bibliographic identity checked; comprehensive full-text risk-of-bias and Jadad assessment pending.
- discovery Sources
https://daytab.com/study/grzqqtpq · https://europepmc.org/article/MED/36006668
- selection Policy
- Success-focused discovery selection, with material limitations retained; not an exhaustive systematic review.
- trial Id
- ISRCTN15424185
Topics and recorded topic scores
- key
- language:mindfulness-clinical
- title
- Mindfulness-based interventions: controlled clinical trials
- collection
- language
- trust Score
- 2
Citation snapshot and identifiers
- id
- pmid-36006668
- doi
- 10.2196/31744
- pmid
- 36006668
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 52
- source
- Europe PMC
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-26
- url
- https://europepmc.org/article/MED/36006668
- citations By Collection
- language
- 52
Complete approved library record
- id
- pmid-36006668
- publication Key
- doi:10.2196/31744
- aliases
- None recorded
- title
- Health Care Workers' Need for Headspace: Findings From a Multisite Definitive Randomized Controlled Trial of an Unguided Digital Mindfulness-Based Self-help App to Reduce Healthcare Worker Stress.
- journal
- JMIR mHealth and uHealth
- neurotransmitters
- None recorded
- year
- 2022
- authors
- Taylor H, Cavanagh K, Field AP, Strauss C.
- design
- Randomized controlled trial
- identity Conflict
- Not recorded
- doi
- 10.2196/31744
- pmid
- 36006668
- urls
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006668/ · https://doi.org/10.2196/31744 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9459942/
- collections
language
- categories
Clinical & self-report
- targets
- None recorded
- priority
- 1
- quotes
- None recorded
- summary
- In 2,182 NHS staff, a digital mindfulness app produced a small but statistically significant reduction in stress relative to an active digital control over 4.5 months, with additional benefits on several wellbeing measures.
- limitation
- Effects were small and burnout and sickness absence did not improve significantly. Engagement was limited; this supports a scalable adjunct rather than a substitute for organisational support.
- citation Count
- 52
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 52
- source
- Europe PMC
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-26
- url
- https://europepmc.org/article/MED/36006668
- study Design Assessment
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006668/ · https://doi.org/10.2196/31744 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9459942/
- assessed At
- 2026-10-26
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006668/ · https://doi.org/10.2196/31744 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9459942/
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- citations By Collection
- language
- 52
- topics
- key
- language:mindfulness-clinical
- title
- Mindfulness-based interventions: controlled clinical trials
- collection
- language
- trust Score
- 2
- journal Key
- jmirmhealthanduhealth
- journal Label
- JMIR mHealth and uHealth
- chapter Entries
- title
- Health Care Workers' Need for Headspace: Findings From a Multisite Definitive Randomized Controlled Trial of an Unguided Digital Mindfulness-Based Self-help App to Reduce Healthcare Worker Stress.
- journal
- JMIR mHealth and uHealth
- year
- 2022
- authors
- Taylor H, Cavanagh K, Field AP, Strauss C.
- design
- Randomized controlled trial
- urls
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006668/ · https://doi.org/10.2196/31744 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9459942/
- doi
- 10.2196/31744
- pmid
- 36006668
- targets
- None recorded
- categories
Clinical & self-report
- citation Count
- 52
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 52
- source
- Europe PMC
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-26
- url
- https://europepmc.org/article/MED/36006668
- study Design Assessment
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006668/ · https://doi.org/10.2196/31744 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9459942/
- assessed At
- 2026-10-26
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- evidence
- intervention
- Unguided Headspace mindfulness app
- comparator
- Moodzone active digital control
- evidence Type
- Clinical or experimental outcomes
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006668/ · https://doi.org/10.2196/31744 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9459942/
- checked At
- 2026-10-26
- review Scope
- Primary publication abstract and bibliographic identity checked; comprehensive full-text risk-of-bias and Jadad assessment pending.
- discovery Sources
https://daytab.com/study/grzqqtpq · https://europepmc.org/article/MED/36006668
- selection Policy
- Success-focused discovery selection, with material limitations retained; not an exhaustive systematic review.
- trial Id
- ISRCTN15424185
- id
- language-mindfulness-clinical-pmid-36006668
- record Id
- pmid-36006668
- quotes
- None recorded
- source Pages
- None recorded
- summary
- In 2,182 NHS staff, a digital mindfulness app produced a small but statistically significant reduction in stress relative to an active digital control over 4.5 months, with additional benefits on several wellbeing measures.
- limitation
- Effects were small and burnout and sickness absence did not improve significantly. Engagement was limited; this supports a scalable adjunct rather than a substitute for organisational support.
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006668/ · https://doi.org/10.2196/31744 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9459942/
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- publication Key
- doi:10.2196/31744
- collection
- language
- chapter Number
- 4
- topic Id
- mindfulness-clinical
- topic Title
- Mindfulness-based interventions: controlled clinical trials
- trust Score
- 2
- evidence
- intervention
- Unguided Headspace mindfulness app
- comparator
- Moodzone active digital control
- evidence Type
- Clinical or experimental outcomes
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006668/ · https://doi.org/10.2196/31744 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9459942/
- checked At
- 2026-10-26
- review Scope
- Primary publication abstract and bibliographic identity checked; comprehensive full-text risk-of-bias and Jadad assessment pending.
- discovery Sources
https://daytab.com/study/grzqqtpq · https://europepmc.org/article/MED/36006668
- selection Policy
- Success-focused discovery selection, with material limitations retained; not an exhaustive systematic review.
- trial Id
- ISRCTN15424185
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- condition Evidence
- id
- stress
- evidence
- field
- curated primary-source summary
- text
- In 2,182 NHS staff, a digital mindfulness app produced a small but statistically significant reduction in stress relative to an active digital control over 4.5 months, with additional benefits on several wellbeing measures.
- matched Text
- stress
- conditions
stress
- topic Trust Scores
2
- full Text
- status
- not-indexed
- retrieval Available
- false