Feasibility study protocol to examine the role of mantra meditation at reducing psychological distress in emergency department staff
April 26, 2017 P. Dunne, Caoimhe O'Leary, L. Prihodová et al.
Emotional exhaustion among healthcare professionals can increase medical errors and reduce patient satisfaction. This feasibility study tests whether random controlled trial methods can assess mantra meditation as a stress-reducing intervention for emergency department staff. Thirty eligible staff in the intervention group will learn mantra meditation in four 4-hour sessions over six weeks and practice 20 minutes of meditation twice daily; thirty in the passive control group will work as usual. Data on psychological wellbeing, blood pressure, heart rate variability, and salivary cortisol will be collected before, after the intervention at week 11, and at follow-up at week 19. The study aims to evaluate recruitment, retention, adherence, and data management before a full trial.