Virtual Group Medical Visits to Decrease Stress and Increase Sleep Quality in a Rural Community: A Quality Improvement Project

Group medical visits (GMVs) are effective in addressing care gaps for chronic diseases and patient education on healthy lifestyle interventions. This quality improvement project modified a previously piloted sleep and stress management GMV program, implemented the enhanced program, then evaluated its efficacy through pre- and post-surveys. Patients self-identified or were identified by a provider as having poor stress management skills, generalized anxiety disorders, insomnia, and/or poor sleep habits. The virtual GMV series compromised four 90-minute, biweekly visits from April to May 2024. Sleep was measured via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and stress with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Twenty-two patients were initially enrolled, eight dropped out, four did not attend any visits, and one attended only one visit without completing surveys. Surveys included demographic questions, the PSQI, the PSS, and were completed before the first visit and after the last visit. The final sample included ten participants, and the majority (90%) attended 3 or 4 GMVs. The mean age (SD) was 53.10 (17.36) years, the majority were female (90%), and worked full-time (60%). Participants who attended 2-4 GMVs experienced a statistically significant increase in sleep quality; however, there was no significant improvement in perceived stress.