What medical students think about measurement of their well-being: cross-sectional survey and qualitative interviews

OBJECTIVES: To find out how medical students think well-being should be measured. DESIGN: A mixed-methods study comprising a cross-sectional online survey (November 2020–March 2021) and semi-structured online interviews. Views on the frequency of availability for measurement, the format, type and purpose of measurement, and with whom well-being should be discussed were measured. When an outcome was scored 7–9 on a 9-point Likert scale of agreement by ≥75% of participants it was considered critical. Inductive thematic analysis was undertaken on the interview transcripts. SETTING: All medicine programmes at University of Southampton. PARTICIPANTS: Medical students from all years took part in the survey (n=118) and interviews (n=16). RESULTS: Most participants (94%) felt able to give 5 min to measure their well-being at least once per month. Research, governance and individual feedback were all considered critically important. Only subjective assessments undertaken by the individual in real-time were rated critically important (78.1%) measurement tools. Students selected that they would discuss their well-being with other medical students (n=87) nearly as often as they selected a member of the faculty (n=104). Five interview themes further explained these findings: (1) well-being is mental well-being; (2) exercise and support from friends and family are most important; (3) isolation and the design of the medicine programme are detrimental to well-being; (4) there are advantages to surveys, and conversations; (5) personal academic tutors and medical students in later years are the best to discuss well-being with. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students thought that measurement of their well-being was critically important for governance showing their support for quality assurance of well-being and peer support. They wanted to be able to choose surveys, or conversations, to measure their well-being, as well as the person they discussed well-being with. Four recommendations are discussed in light of these findings.