Wellness Literature Review – 2025

Authors

• Martin Huecker, University of LouisvilleFollow
• Brian A. Ferguson, US Air ForceFollow

Funder

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work

Conflict of Interest

The author(s) have no conflict of interest to declare for this work

Abstract

Introduction: Clinician well-being remains a persistent challenge, with ongoing burnout and psychological distress despite efforts by systems and individuals. This Journal of Wellness annual review covers studies published in 2025.

Methods: The Editors searched PubMed and Google Scholar for prospective and interventional studies / clinical trials in humans, with focus on well-being. Authors utilized artificial intelligence (AI)–based large language model (LLM) (ChatGPT, OpenAI^TM) to assist with preliminary identification of relevant studies, however authors noted significant AI-associated errors and outright misrepresentations requiring hand curated product generation and manual PubMed searches.

Literature in Review: We continue to appreciate a shift toward system-level and scalable interventions. Randomized trials of AI and workflow tools targeted documentation burden and efficiency and had perceived improvements in efficiency and documentation quality. Digital and mobile health interventions, specifically resilience training and mindfulness platforms, showed modest but scalable effects. Coaching and peer-support interventions demonstrated improvements in physician well-being. Mindfulness-based approaches remain common, but emerging work in psychotherapy highlights overlap between burnout and mental health conditions.

Conclusion: Recent literature continues to include individual and system level focus to address burnout and enhance flourishing of healthcare professionals. Addressing structural drivers of burnout may offer the most meaningful improvements in well-being.

DOI

10.55504/2578-9333.1355

Recommended Citation

Huecker, Martin and Ferguson, Brian A. (2026) "Wellness Literature Review – 2025," Journal of Wellness: Vol. 7 : Iss. 1 , Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55504/2578-9333.1355
Available at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/jwellness/vol7/iss1/4