"Awareness is the first step": An interprofessional course on mindfulness & mindful-movement for healthcare professionals and students.

Author: Kinser P1, Braun S2, Deeb G3, Carrico C4, Dow A5
Affiliation:
1Department of Family and Community Health, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing, 1100 E. Leigh Street, PO Box 980567, Richmond, VA 23298, USA. Electronic address: kinserpa@vcu.edu.
2Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 806 W. Franklin St, Richmond, VA 23284, USA.
3Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, 521 North 11th St, Box 980566, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
4Department of Periodontics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, 521 North 11 St, Box 980566, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
5Internal Medicine, VCU Health System, Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Care, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1012 East Marshall St, Richmond, VA 23298-0549, USA.
Conference/Journal: Complement Ther Clin Pract.
Date published: 2016 Nov
Other: Volume ID: 25 , Pages: 18-25 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.08.003. Epub 2016 Aug 3. , Word Count: 152


High levels of stress and related burnout in healthcare professionals (HCPs) are prevalent and costly conditions. Mindfulness training has received recent attention as a possible prevention/intervention strategy to enhance resilience to stress and reduce risk of burnout in HCPs. The purpose of this mixed-methods pilot study was to evaluate the preliminary feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of an 8-week mindfulness curriculum for interprofessional HCPs and trainees (n = 27). Qualitative findings supported feasibility and acceptability of the course for a wide variety of HCP disciplines, including nursing, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, social work, mental health, and clinical research. Despite being limited by a small sample size, there were statistically significant reductions in perceived stress, anxiety, and specific aspects of burnout from pre-to post-intervention and there was a trend in an enhanced sense of personal accomplishment over time.

Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS: Burnout; Healthcare professionals; Mindful movement; Stress

PMID: 27863607 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.08.003

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