Effect of a Brief Mindfulness-Based Program on Stress in Health Care Professionals at a US Biomedical Research Hospital: A Randomized Clinical Trial

• Published in: JAMA network open 2020-08, Vol.3 (8), p.e2013424
• Main Authors: Ameli, Rezvan, Sinaii, Ninet, West, Colin P, Luna, María José, Panahi, Samin, Zoosman, Michael, Rusch, Heather L, Berger, Ann
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academies and Institutes; Activities of daily living; Adult; Anxiety; Anxiety - therapy; Clinical trials; Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Feasibility Studies; Female; Health Personnel; Hospitals; Humans; Intervention; Male; Maryland; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Middle Aged; Mindfulness; Mindfulness - education; Mindfulness - methods; Occupational Stress - therapy; Online Only; Original Investigation; Research Personnel; Stress; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2574-3805; 2574-3805
• DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.13424

Stress among health care professionals is well documented. The use of mindfulness-based interventions to reduce stress has shown promising results; however, the time commitment of typical programs can be a barrier to successful implementation in health care settings. To determine the efficacy and feasibility of a brief mindfulness-based program to reduce stress during work hours among health care professionals. This intent-to-treat randomized clinical trial was conducted among full-time health care professionals at the Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, between September 2017 and May 2018. Participants were randomized to receive mindfulness-based self-care (MBSC) training or life-as-usual control. Data were analyzed from June 2018 to January 2020. The MBSC intervention included 5 weekly, 1.5-hour in-class mindfulness practice sessions. Stress level was the primary outcome, assessed with the Perceived Stress Scale 10-Item version. Secondary outcomes included anxiety, burnout, positive and negative affect, mindfulness (trait and state), and self-care. Assessments were taken at baseline and at the end of the intervention (week 5) in the intervention and control groups, and at follow-up (week 13) in the intervention group to test for a maintenance effect. A postprogram evaluation was also obtained. Of 82 randomized participants, 78 who completed the study at week 5 were included in the modified intent-to-treat analysis (median [interquartile range] age, 32 [23-48] years; 65 [83%] women), including 43 participants in the MBSC group and 35 participants in the control group. At the end of the intervention, compared with the control group, the MBSC group had reduced levels of stress (mean [SD] score, 17.29 [5.84] vs 18.54 [6.30]; P = .02) and anxiety (mean [SD] score, 2.58 [1.52] vs 4.23 [1.73]; P