The Engagement Problem
Why most mental health apps fail to maintain user engagement and how GetVitals is solving this critical issue.
The Engagement Crisis in Mental Health Apps
The Shocking Reality: Less Than 3% Engagement Rate
Workplace wellness apps have a dismal engagement rate of less than 3%, meaning 97% of staff completely ignore these tools. We've talked to hospital leaders who had to dig through HR documents just to remember they even had a wellness app. When leaders can't remember they have these tools, it's clear they're not built for healthcare workers.
The Numbers Don't Lie
97% of staff ignore wellness apps
Less than 3% engagement rate industry-wide
Leaders forget they exist
Had to dig through HR documents to find them
Why This Happens
- • Not built for healthcare workers, generic solutions
- • Apps feel disconnected from real work environments
- • Generic content doesn't address specific workplace stressors
- • No integration with existing workflows
- • Lack of organizational support and accountability
- • One-size-fits-all approach doesn't work
The Impact
- • Failed interventions for burnout prevention
- • Wasted resources on unused tools
- • Continued decline in healthcare worker wellbeing
- • Organizations lose confidence in digital solutions
- • Critical mental health needs go unmet
The Trauma Gap: Why Generic Apps Fail Healthcare Workers
Generic apps offer disconnected solutions completely removed from healthcare reality.
The Engagement Problem
Why 97% of healthcare workers ignore wellness apps
Generic Mental Health Apps
- • "Walk through a peaceful meadow"
- • Generic relaxation techniques
- • One-size-fits-all approach
- • Disconnected from healthcare trauma
- • Doesn't address specific stressors
GetVitals Approach
- • Trauma-informed decompression techniques
- • Healthcare-specific content and scenarios
- • Purpose reminders: "Why you became a nurse"
- • Addresses patient death, workplace violence
- • Meets nurses where they are emotionally
Real Example: ER Nurse After Patient Death
A real-world comparison of generic vs. healthcare-specific approaches
Generic App Response
Audio: "Walk through a peaceful meadow"
Generic relaxation techniques completely disconnected from trauma
Timing: Anytime
Not designed for healthcare worker schedules
Content: One-size-fits-all
Doesn't address patient death or healthcare trauma
GetVitals Response
Audio: "Decompressing after patient loss"
Trauma-informed techniques for processing death with grace
Timing: After shift, on way home
Designed for healthcare worker schedules
Content: Healthcare-specific
Addresses patient death, trauma, and nurse purpose
Why Engagement is Critical for Healthcare Workers
The Healthcare Context is Unique
Healthcare workers face unique challenges that require sustained, ongoing support. Burnout doesn't develop overnight, and it can't be solved with occasional app usage. Effective intervention requires consistent engagement over time, with tools that integrate seamlessly into the demanding healthcare environment.
How GetVitals Solves the Engagement Problem
Trauma-Informed & Purpose-Built for Healthcare Workers
GetVitals was designed specifically to address the unique trauma and stressors that healthcare workers face. Instead of generic "walk through a grass field" content, we provide trauma-informed decompression techniques, purpose reminders, and healthcare-specific scenarios that meet nurses where they are emotionally and temporally.
Meeting Nurses Where They Are: Social Media & Engagement
We need to meet nurses where they are. At this point, "resilience" has become a negative word for nurses. In reality, many nurses use social media to disconnect and zone out while processing trauma. While we don't want to continue phone addiction, we must acknowledge that people spend significant time on their phones. What if we could take the engaging elements of social media and apply them to mental health support for just a few minutes a day?
Peer Support & Stories
- • Adapted Harvard People Lab's asynchronous peer advice RCT
- • Nurses share stories and advice anonymously
- • Engagement through meaningful connections
- • Writing and reading advice helps processing
Your story made an impact. 513 nurses across the country have read this and you made them feel heard.
Evidence-Based: Harvard study showed 50% reduction in resignations and significant burnout reduction through asynchronous peer support. We've adapted this proven approach for nursing.
Smart Notifications
These notifications drive engagement by showing nurses the real impact of their stories and encouraging continued participation:
You've had 517 nurses read your story today
72% reacted to your powerful story
A nurse in your department posted a new story
New story trending in ICU nursing
Social Engagement: As nurses engage with peer content, they discover relevant solutions like "relaxing audio support for why you became a nurse in the first place" - creating natural pathways to mental health support.
Meeting Nurses Where They Are: Timing & Workflow
Nurses are incredibly busy during their shifts - often too busy to even use the restroom due to understaffing. We've learned from nurses that the best time for decompression is after their shift, on their way home. GetVitals is built specifically for this critical transition period.
The Critical Window
- • After shift ends: decompression time
- • Sitting in car: taking a deep breath
- • On the way home: processing time
- • Before returning to family: transition time
- • When trauma is fresh: intervention time
End of shift. Ready to decompress? Let's reflect and recharge together.
Habit Stacking: We want nurses to build a habit of decompressing after their shift ends, sitting in their car and taking a moment to breathe. We use smart notifications based on shift timing to nudge them at the perfect moment when they're most receptive.
Purpose-Built Content
- • Trauma-informed decompression techniques
- • Processing patient deaths and difficult cases
- • Reminding nurses of their purpose and calling
- • Transitioning from work to home life
- • Nurse-specific tools (Tetris for trauma reduction)
Evidence-Based Tools: Research shows Tetris can reduce trauma flashbacks and PTSD symptoms. We're building nurse-specific tools based on proven trauma interventions, not generic relaxation apps.
Support Boost: Leveraging Nurse Camaraderie
Experienced nurses are battle-tested, sharp, and emotionally resilient from years of high-stress situations. They rarely ask for help, but they'll always offer it to others. When a nurse walks out of a patient’s room after sharing bad news or witnessing a loss, she’ll say “I’m fine” even when it’s clear she’s not. Her colleagues know the look. Support Boost lets nurses quietly send each other a gentle check-in when words are hard to find.
The Quiet Nudge
- Sarah notices Emma walking out of a patient's room affected by a recent patient case
- Sends gentle "Support Boost" notification
Sarah cares about you - try decompression audio on the way home
3. Quiet, non-intrusive support
Real-Time Support: When nurses see their colleagues struggling, they can immediately send a gentle reminder to take care of themselves. This leverages the natural tendency of nurses to help others while bypassing their resistance to self-care.
Reinforcement Loop
- If Emma uses the app after receiving boost
- Sarah gets positive reinforcement notification
You made a difference - Emma used the app.
Thank you for helping.
• The ability to make a difference is part of the solution to burnout
• Encourages continued peer support
Department-Wide Engagement: This feature works best if the entire department is using the app consistently. Nurses can support each other in real-time, creating a digital safety net that leverages their natural camaraderie and willingness to help others.
Join Our Research Pilot
Help us solve the engagement problem and move the needle on healthcare worker burnout. We're conducting a research pilot specifically to validate our engagement approach among nursing populations. This pilot will measure daily and weekly engagement rates, long-term retention over 3-6 months, impact on burnout metrics, user satisfaction and perceived value, and integration with work routines.