Daily Micro Moments (DMMs): A Feasibility Framework for Integrating Lifestyle Medicine to Enhance Physician Well-Being and Reduce Burnout
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Physician well-being is foundational to safe, compassionate, and sustainable care, yet remains difficult to sustain in the high-demand clinical environment. Although awareness of clinician stress and fatigue is growing, many wellness initiatives are resource-intensive, require protected time, or lack sustainability when physicians face competing demands. Early-career clinicians and trainees are particularly vulnerable, often balancing academic and clinical responsibilities with limited opportunities for recovery. This technical report describes the design and pilot implementation of a simple logbook-based framework that integrates brief lifestyle "micro-practices" into daily routines as a resilience-building strategy. The framework was developed using quality-improvement principles, specifically Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, emphasizing feasibility, rapid feedback, and sustainability. It comprised three elements: (1) short lifestyle micro-practices lasting three to five minutes (e.g., mindful breathing, gratitude journaling, reflective pauses); (2) a structured logbook serving as both an accountability tool and a data-capture instrument; and (3) balancing measures to ensure participation did not disrupt academic or clinical duties. The framework was piloted over a three-week period by a physician concurrently enrolled in full-time graduate coursework while providing inpatient care on weekends - a high-demand context to test feasibility. Adherence to daily practices exceeded 80%. The Mini-Z single-item burnout score improved by one level, and perceived-stress ratings declined from 8 → 6 → 5 across three weeks. The logbook reinforced engagement by visualizing progress, while balancing measures confirmed no interference with coursework or clinical responsibilities. This pilot demonstrates that integrating structured lifestyle micro-practices into physician routines is feasible and potentially beneficial, even under dual academic and clinical workloads. By embedding well-being within natural transitions rather than separate sessions, the framework aligns with established quality-improvement principles and supports sustainable resilience without requiring additional time. Future studies should evaluate this approach in larger cohorts using validated well-being and resilience instruments to determine broader impact and scalability.
Source: Cureus
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.96002
Author: Sumera Bukhari
Institutions: Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard University
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4415810310