Mindfulness training for healthcare professional students: A waitlist controlled pilot study on psychological and work-relevant outcomes

Abstract

Objectives: To fill gaps in the literature on the effects of mindfulness for healthcare professionals (HCPs), the current pragmatic trial investigated feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of Mindfulness for Interdisciplinary Healthcare Professional (MIHP) students on stress and work-relevant outcomes in the absence of offering school-based incentives.

Design: A partially randomized waitlist-controlled design (intention-to-treat sample: 22 in the mindfulness group, 26 in the control group) was employed.

Intervention: MIHP is an eight-week intervention that incorporates meditation training, yoga, and discussion on the application of mindfulness principles to stressors commonly faced by HCPs and students.

Main outcome measures: Domains of feasibility and acceptability; Maslach Burnout Inventory and other validated measures of psychological functioning; cognitive task performance on the Trail Making Test A & B; and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment plus Classroom Impairment Questionnaire.

Results: Results supported the feasibility and acceptability of MIHP but found randomization to be unacceptable. Small to large effects were found for MIHP, relative to the control group, on outcomes of burnout, perceived stress, mindfulness, and activity impairment. No effect of MIHP was found on cognitive performance or work productivity outcomes.

Conclusions: Preferential group allocation improved retention relative to randomization in the absence of school-based incentives. Results suggest that MIHP is feasible and acceptable and may have benefit for improving mindfulness and reducing burnout, stress, and activity impairment. Cognitive performance, work absenteeism, and work impairment did not change following MIHP. Results support future investigations into the effects of participant compensation on MIHP's dissemination and effectiveness.

Keywords: Burnout; Cognitive functioning; Healthcare professional students; Mindfulness; Stress; Work productivity.