Opportunity 

The expectation in many health care settings is perfection without recognition. Medical errors can result in harsh consequences, while successes are rarely recognized to the same extent. These asymmetrical rewards are thought to be a key contributor to physician burnout. 

Intervention  

High Five is a mobile-enhanced, web-based multimedia platform designed to facilitate real-time positive feedback delivery among health system employees. 

The platform enables easy searching for colleagues and grants users access to a multimedia library of memes and GIFs that contain positive and congratulatory messages. Once an image is selected, users can customize their High Five with a personalized message. It also makes positive feedback public by displaying messages on live feeds organized by department and by offering users the option to copy supervisors on messages. 

Impact  

High Five helps foster a climate of civility by making it easy for health system employees to recognize and celebrate their peers.  

Since launching in the emergency department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 2016, usage of the platform has expanded to several departments across Penn Medicine. Over 21,000 hospital employees exchanged more than 86,000 communications on High Five in the first five years. Users and recipients report that the platform positively impacts their work environment, and sustained usage has been observed among all user types.