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. 2016 Feb 4;12(1):83-91.
doi: 10.1177/1559827616629121. eCollection 2018 Jan-Feb.

A Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Primary Care Physicians: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

David A Schroeder  1   2   3   4   5 , Elizabeth Stephens  1   2   3   4   5 , Dharmakaya Colgan  1   2   3   4   5 , Matthew Hunsinger  1   2   3   4   5 , Dan Rubin  1   2   3   4   5 , Michael S Christopher  1   2   3   4   5
Affiliations

A Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Primary Care Physicians: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

David A Schroeder et al. Am J Lifestyle Med. .

Abstract

Primary care physicians experience high rates of burnout, which results in diminished quality of life, poorer quality of care, and workforce attrition. In this randomized controlled trial, our primary aim was to examine the impact of a brief mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on burnout, stress, mindfulness, compassion, and resilience among physicians. A total of 33 physicians completed the baseline assessment and were randomized to the Mindful Medicine Curriculum (MMC; n = 17) or waitlist control group (n = 16). Participants completed self-report measures at baseline, post-MBI, and 3-month follow-up. We also analyzed satisfaction with doctor communication (DCC) and overall doctor rating (ODR) data from patients of the physicians in our sample. Participants in the MMC group reported significant improvements in stress (P < .001), mindfulness (P = .05), emotional exhaustion (P = .004), and depersonalization (P = .01) whereas in the control group, there were no improvements on these outcomes. Although the MMC had no impact on patient-reported DCC or ODR, among the entire sample at baseline, DCC and ODR were significantly correlated with several physician outcomes, including resilience and personal achievement. Overall, these findings suggest that a brief MBI can have a positive impact on physician well-being and potentially enhance patient care.

Keywords: burnout; mindfulness; perceived stress; resilience.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Participant flow. MMC, Mindful Medicine Curriculum.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Means of outcome variables assessed at baseline, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up. Abbreviations: CON, control group; MMC, Mindful Medicine Curriculum group; MASL-EE, Maslach Burnout Inventory–Emotional Exhaustion; MASL-DEP, Maslach Burnout Inventory–Depersonalization; MASL-PA, Maslach Burnout Inventory–Personal Achievement.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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