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Validation of the Well-Being Index

Developed by Mayo Clinic researchers, the Well-Being Index has been validated in peer-reviewed studies across medical students, residents, physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, dentists, and the broader U.S. workforce, to identify distress and stratify well-being.

Well-Being Index Validation Study Timeline

Validation Study Citations

January 2010 Medical students Development and preliminary psychometric properties of a well-being index for medical students BMC Medical Education Read the study July 2011 Medical students Efficacy of a brief screening tool to identify medical students in distress Academic Medicine Read the study February 2013 Medical students Psychometric properties of the Medical Student Well-Being Index among medical students in a Malaysian medical school Asian Journal of Psychiatry Read the study March 2013 Physicians Utility of a brief screening tool to identify physicians in distress Journal of General Internal Medicine Read the study December 2013 Medical students Psychometric properties of the Medical Student Wellbeing Index at different interval of measurements in a cohort of medical students Education in Medicine Journal Read the study January 2014 Surgeons An interactive individualized intervention to promote behavioral change to increase personal well-being in US surgeons Annals of Surgery Read the study March 2014 Residents Ability of the physician well-being index to identify residents in distress Journal of Graduate Medical Education Read the study August 2016 US workers Ability of a 9-Item Well-Being Index to Identify Distress and Stratify Quality of Life in US Workers Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Read the study November 2018 Nurses Efficacy of the Well-Being Index to Identify Distress and Well-Being in U.S. Nurses Nursing Research Read the study July 2019 NPs & PAs Efficacy of the Well-Being Index to identify distress and stratify well-being in nurse practitioners and physician assistants Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners Read the study June 2020 Pharmacists Ability of the Well-Being Index to identify pharmacists in distress Journal of the American Pharmacists Association Read the study January 2024 Dentists Distress and well-being in dentists: performance of a screening tool for assessment BDJ Open Read the study
FAQs

Well-Being Index validation: common questions

Is the Well-Being Index validated?

Yes. The Well-Being Index was developed by Mayo Clinic researchers and has been validated in a series of peer-reviewed studies published from 2010 to 2024. Those studies, which included more than 25,000 individuals, evaluated its ability to identify distress and predict a variety of occupational and personal outcomes.

Which groups has the Well-Being Index been validated for?

Peer-reviewed studies have validated the Well-Being Index for medical students, residents, physicians, surgeons, nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, pharmacists, dentists, and the broader U.S. workforce.

How can 9 questions accurately measure distress and well-being?

Mayo Clinic tested the Well-Being Index in a number of professions and job types and evaluated its ability to predict a variety of different occupational and personal outcomes. For how the 9-item version measures distress and well-being, see Ability of a 9-Item Well-Being Index to Identify Distress and Stratify Quality of Life in US Workers, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Who are Well-Being Index results compared to?

A participant’s score is compared to normative data from published national samples specific to the assessment version. National benchmarks are also updated consistently based on ongoing data compiled from Well-Being Index participants.

Where were the validation studies published?

In peer-reviewed journals including Academic Medicine, the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Annals of Surgery, the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Nursing Research, the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, and BDJ Open. Each study on this page links to the published paper.

How do I cite the Well-Being Index in research?

Download the Validation Study Citations for the references to use. The Well-Being Index is also available for academic and IRB-approved research.

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