Barriers and facilitators of the use of mind-body therapies by healthcare providers and clinicians to care for themselves

Feasibility, acceptability and evaluation of meditation to augment yoga practice among persons diagnosed with schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE

To design a meditation protocol and test its feasibility, acceptability and efficacy in conjunction with yoga training (YT) for persons with schizophrenia (SZ).

METHODS

The meditation protocol consisted of Anapana (observing normal respiration) and Yoga Nidra (supine, restful awareness). In a single-blind randomised controlled trial, medicated and clinically stable outpatients diagnosed with SZ were randomised to receive treatment as usual (TAU), TAU augmented with YT or TAU augmented with meditation and yoga training (MYT) for 3 weeks (N = 145). Acceptability, clinical, social and cognitive functions were assessed after 3-week and 3-month post-randomisation using within-group and between-group analyses with repeated measures multivariate tests.

RESULTS

No group-wise differences in compliance, study discontinuation, major/serious side effects or adverse events were noted. For six assessed clinical variables, the direction of changes were in the desired direction and the effect sizes were greater in the MYT group compared with the TAU group at both time points. Changes in social function variables were greater at 3 months than at 3 weeks. Nominally significant improvement in individual cognitive domains were noted in all groups at both time points. All effect sizes were in the small to medium range.

CONCLUSION

MYT is feasible and acceptable and shows modest benefits for persons with SZ. MYT can also improve quality of life and clinical symptoms. Larger studies of longer duration are warranted.

Evaluation of a Brief Stress Management Workshop for Incoming Nursing Students

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief stress management workshop on nursing students' perceived stress and resilience. Students who received the stress management intervention during orientation had significantly higher resilience scores and lower stress scores 1 year later during COVID-19 than the comparison group.

Feasibility and Effect of Reiki on the Physiology and Self-perceived Stress of Nurses in a Large US Hospital

Nurses experience stress in the workplace. We evaluated the feasibility and effect of Reiki to relieve stress of staff nurses during a work shift. All Reiki treatments were completed without interruption and lasted 30 minutes. Stress scores, respiratory rate, and heart rate were significantly decreased immediately following the Reiki treatment.

Exploring the Potential Impact of a Virtual Body Scan Meditation Exercise Conducted With Pet Dogs on Recipients and Facilitators

Numerous recent studies have shown that COVID-19 and the accompanying mandated lifestyle changes have resulted in significant negative effects on people's mental health. To meet the increased need for mental health support, while also maintaining physical safety, a variety of telehealth services have been created or expanded. A body scan mindfulness program is an intervention that can easily be modified to be offered virtually. This study was designed to determine if a virtual body scan mindfulness exercise, with participants' holding their dog or a pillow/blanket, could reduce their stress and anxiety as well as that of the facilitators. Significant differences in pre/post-State Anxiety Assessment scores for participants and facilitators were found. These results are discussed within the framework of the human animal bond and the potential of this form of intervention as a useful virtual tool for participants and facilitators alike.

Development and Implementation of a Brief Healthcare Professional Support Program Based in Gratitude, Mindfulness, Self-compassion, and Empathy

OBJECTIVE

To highlight the development, implementation, and initial findings of a brief healthcare professional support program called "GRACE."

BACKGROUND

Healthcare professionals face significant work-related stressors that when left unmanaged can negatively affect their overall well-being and contribute to burnout.

METHODS

Over a 2-year period, the GRACE program was delivered to 8 clinical units at a midsized southwestern hospital. Questionnaires were administered at baseline and 1 month.

RESULTS

Program participants were 36 years old on average, female (81%), and White (68%) and mostly employed as nurses (66%). Attendees reported increased knowledge, understanding, and confidence and found the program to be acceptable. One month after training, participants demonstrated significant improvements in self-compassion. Medical units that received GRACE training saw significantly greater increases in patient satisfaction scores compared with units that did not receive training.

CONCLUSIONS

The GRACE program was feasible and acceptable to deliver, and initial proof-of-concept evidence was supported.

Embracing Change: A Mindful Medical Center Meets COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Healthcare professional (HCP) burnout transcends clinician job title and role, thus creating a need for interprofessional strategies to address burnout. The organizational framework of offering employer-sponsored mindfulness programming to HCPs sets the stage for an orchestrated, mindful response to COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE

This single arm pre-post interventional research tested changes in measures of burnout, resilience, perceived stress and work engagement for interprofessional HCP faculty and students participating in Mindfulness in Motion (MIM), a novel eight-week multimodal evidenced-based onsite intervention.

METHODS

A Graduate Medical Education (GME) pilot of MIM was expanded to target inter-professional resiliency within an academic health center. MIM is the core offering of the Gabbe Health and Wellness program for students, staff, faculty, and residents and is embedded across the entire medical center.

RESULTS

The faculty/student role demographic categories (n = 267) included resident physicians, resident chaplains, attending physicians, medical center faculty, and hospital administrative/managerial clinical staff. These cohorts demonstrated significant 27% reduction in participants meeting burnout criteria. Total burnout was determined by scores on subscales of emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA) of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). There was a highly significant pre/post decrease in the in the emotional exhaustion (p < 0.00001) and depersonalization scores (p < 0.001), with highly significant increase in the personal accomplishment (p < 0.00001) scores. Resilience, as measured by the Connor Davidson Resiliency Scale (CDRS), significantly increased (p < 0.00001), alongside a significant increase (p < 0.00001) in the total Utrecht Work Engagement Score (UWES) and a significant decrease in scores on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (p < 0.00001).

CONCLUSION

MIM significantly reduced burnout and perceived stress, for interprofessional (HCP) faculty and staff, while increasing resilience and work engagement in a large healthcare system. These results paved the way for an organizational response that utilized mindfulness to empower HCPs to navigate through the novel challenges presented by COVID-19.

Mindfulness meditation for workplace wellness: An evidence map

BACKGROUND

Mindfulness interventions aim to foster greater attention and awareness of present moment experiences. Uptake of mindfulness programs in the workplace has grown as organizations look to support employee health, wellbeing, and performance.

OBJECTIVE

In support of evidence-based decision making in workplace contexts, we created an evidence map summarizing physical and mental health, cognitive, affective, and interpersonal outcomes from systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mindfulness interventions.

METHODS

We searched nine electronic databases to July 2017, dually-screened all reviews, and consulted topic experts to identify systematic reviews on mindfulness interventions. The distribution of evidence is presented as an evidence map in a bubble plot.

RESULTS

In total, 175 systematic reviews met inclusion criteria. Reviews included a variety of mindfulness-based interventions. The largest review included 109 randomized controlled trials. The majority of these addressed general health, psychological conditions, chronic illness, pain, and substance use. Twenty-six systematic reviews assessed studies conducted in workplace settings and with healthcare professionals, educators, and caregivers. The evidence map shows the prevalence of research by the primary area of focus. An outline of promising applications of mindfulness interventions is included.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence map provides an overview of existing mindfulness research. It shows the body of available evidence to inform policy and organizational decision-making supporting employee wellbeing in work contexts.

A Thematic Analysis of Health Care Workers' Adoption of Mindfulness Practices

Mindfulness training, which teaches individuals to bring awareness and acceptance to the present moment, has been effective in improving the well-being of health care workers. Limited research examines the adoption of mindfulness practices using health behavior theories. The current study sought to conceptualize hospital health care workers' experiences in adopting mindfulness practices using the Health Belief Model (HBM), a theoretical framework used by health promotion practitioners to design and implement health behavior change interventions. Hospital health care workers in Colorado participated in an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course. Participants ( n = 19) answered open-ended questions about their experiences adopting mindfulness practices. A theory-driven thematic analysis approach was used to analyze data with key constructs of the HBM acting as the framework for the analysis. Results showed that HBM constructs, including internal cues to action, perceived benefits and barriers, and self-efficacy, helped portray the participants' experiences and challenges in adopting and adhering to the mindfulness practices taught in the MBSR course.