Evaluating the impact of Apollo Neuro™ wearable on wellbeing in medical and pharmacy students: A preliminary prospective randomized controlled study.

Purpose: Burnout affects up to 70% of US medical and pharmacy students, often accompanied by depression, anxiety, at-risk drinking, and suicidal ideation. While wellbeing interventions impacting mindfulness exist, they are often time- and cost-prohibitive. The Apollo Neuro™ (AN), a wearable device designed to regulate stress responses, may offer a low-burden alternative.

Methods: This pilot study assessed AN's impact on stress and wellbeing among medical and pharmacy students. Sixty-six students were randomized 1:1 to either receive the device (Active group) or join a waitlist (Control). Participants completed surveys at baseline, 6-, and 12-weeks, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-2), Medical Student Well-Being Index (MSWBI), Perceived Stress Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C.

Results: At 12 weeks, students using AN showed significant improvement in burnout (MBI-2 total, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization) and MSWBI scores compared to controls. No significant changes were seen in resilience or alcohol use.

Conclusions: AN appears to be a feasible, efficacious tool for reducing burnout and improving wellbeing in health professional students, meriting further investigation.