A Digital Lifestyle Program for Psychological Distress, Wellbeing and Return-to-Work: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Abstract

Objective: To demonstrate proof-of-concept for a chatbot-led digital lifestyle medicine program in aiding rehabilitation for return-to-work.

Design: Retrospective cohort study with pre-post measures.

Setting: Community setting, Australia.

Participants: 78 adult participants (mean age 46 years, 32% female) with an active workers' compensation claim (N=78).

Interventions: A 6-week digital lifestyle medicine program led by an artificially intelligent virtual health coach and weekly telehealth calls with a health coach.

Main outcome measures: Adherence (% program completions) and engagement (% of daily and weekly sessions completed), changes in depression, anxiety and distress (K10), psychological wellbeing (WHO-5), return-to-work confidence and anxiety and change in work status.

Results: Sixty participants completed the program (72%), with improvements in psychological distress (P≤.001, r=.47), depression (P<.001, r=.55), anxiety (P<.001, r=.46) and wellbeing (P<.001, r=.62) were noted, as well as increased confidence about returning to work (P≤.001, r=.51) and improved work status (P≤.001). Anxiety about returning to work remained unchanged. Participants completed an average of 73% of daily virtual coach sessions and 95% of telehealth coaching sessions.

Conclusions: Artificial intelligence technology may be able to provide a practical, supportive, and low-cost intervention to improve psychosocial outcomes among individuals on an active workers' compensation claim. Further, controlled research is needed to confirm these findings.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Lifestyle; Mental health; Online intervention; Return-to-work; Telemedicine.