A mindfulness program reduced healthcare professionals' burnout by 27 percent, according to a recent study published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine.
Researchers at Columbus-based Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and OSU College of Medicine compared burnout, resilience, stress and work engagement levels for 267 participants before and after participation in a mindfulness program. After completion of the eight-week Mindfulness in Motion program, there was a significant reduction in burnout and increases in personal accomplishment, resilience and work engagement. Perceived stress levels also decreased.
"These results paved the way for an organizational response that used mindfulness to empower healthcare providers to navigate through novel challenges presented by COVID-19," said Maryanna Klatt, PhD, lead researcher. "Our study shows that when an organization invests preventively in a program like Mindfulness in Motion for any faculty and staff, it makes a real difference when a crisis like an unexpected pandemic happens."
Following the results, Dr. Klatt developed a series of short mindfulness videos for OSU healthcare workers which now have more than 19,500 collective views.
Researchers now plan to collaborate with the state's hospital association to train other hospitals to use the mindfulness program.