Well-Being Influencers Survey for Healthcare (WISH)
By examining perceptions of the root influencers of healthcare worker well-being, WISH provides a structured, evidence-based approach to measurement and improvement.
Read about WISH—its development and validation, along with the full tool and scoring instructions, were recently published in Anesthesiology: Measuring Well-Being Influencers: Development and Validation of the WISH Inventory
Download the Well-Being Influencers Survey for Healthcare: Click Here to Download
Wish Content
- WISH Goals
- WISH Influencers
Developed in response to the growing consensus that meaningful well-being improvement for healthcare workers requires system-level change, the Well-Being Influencers Survey for Healthcare (WISH) is a novel, validated tool that assesses perceptions of the organizational and cultural factors shaping healthcare worker well-being. Unlike traditional measures focused on individual well-being states (e.g., burnout), WISH shifts the focus to the occupational drivers of these outcomes—such as leadership support, working conditions, and psychological safety. By measuring the root-origin factors of well-being and burnout rather than their downstream effects, WISH advances well-being science and provides an actionable framework for system-level improvement.
Read about WISH—its development, validation, and how our findings highlight the importance of viewing healthcare worker well-being through a systems lens — in the initial validation manuscript. Validation results indicate that WISH captures important and relevant insights beyond established measures, generating information that can help drive both well-being improvement and research efforts.
WISH measures the following influencers of healthcare worker well-being:
Psychological Safety
A workplace attribute where individuals feel safe to share ideas, ask questions, and admit mistakes without fear, fostered by leadership, teamwork, and mutual respect. (3 items)
Perceived Social Support
Emotional and practical support from coworkers, proven to enhance job satisfaction and protect against burnout. (5 items)
Leadership Support
Support from leaders who prioritize employee growth, ethical decision-making, and transparency, shown to directly improve well-being and engagement. (3 items)
Work Meaning
Purpose and fulfillment supported by autonomy, skill growth, contributions to the greater good, and recognition, essential for engagement and professional satisfaction. (5 items)
Inclusion and Belonging
Being valued as an individual while contributing meaningfully to the team, linked to creativity, commitment, and overall workplace well-being. (4 items)
Justice
Occupational fairness where transparent policies, clear decision-making, and responsive leadership create trust and promote well-being. (3 items)
Work Life Integration
“Balance” enabled from such aspects as flexible scheduling and predictable workloads that reduce work-life conflict, foster loyalty, reduce absenteeism, and mitigate burnout. (3 items)
Work Conditions
The environment and resources that support healthcare professionals in doing their jobs effectively, critical for job satisfaction and reducing burnout risk. (4 items)
Two additional items measure a department's well-being-related priorities.
Wish Validity
Initial validity findings, qualitative and quantitative, were published in Anesthesiology: Measuring Well-Being Influencers: Development and Validation of the WISH Inventory
Who is WISH for?
WISH is a tool for healthcare leadership interested in improving well-being in their departments, and for researchers interested in understanding mechanisms behind system-level well-being improvement.
Scoring WISH
Psychometric analysis of WISH's internal structure revealed that the tool yields a total score, summarizing department well-being culture, and influencer-level scores to provide targeted feedback.
External Validity
WISH scores are correlated with scores on individual-level well-being and stress measures, and with burnout and professional fulfillment, while providing a distinct lens into department well-being culture.
Predicting Outcomes
WISH scores predict key occupational outcomes after statistically controlling for demographics and gold-standard measures of individual well-being, underscoring the value added by WISH.
WISH in Practice
- Who Uses WISH?
- How to Use
Below is basic information on how to use WISH in practice. Interested users are encouraged to Contact our Team for general best-practice and specific guidance for your unique contexts.
Administering WISH
WISH was initially validated within academic anesthesiology, but designed for all of healthcare, including non-physician roles (e.g., research, administration).
Scoring WISH
WISH yields a total score, summarizing department well-being culture, and influencer-level scores to provide targeted influencer-level feedback.