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The Impact of Mindfulness Interventions on the Well-Being of Intensive Care, Emergency Department and Anaesthesia Staff: A Systematic Review.

Amanda Zahumensky, Varinporn Amporndanai, Jane Orbell-Smith, Yogesh Apte, Dylan Flaws

Nursing in Critical Care May 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1111/nicc.70427 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Systematic review Qualitative Peer reviewed
Sample size 30
Population Doctors, nurses and allied health professionals working in ICUs, EDs, CCUs and perioperative units
Interventions Mindfulness-based interventions Yoga Aromatherapy
Topics Meditation
Keywords Burnout Critical care Emergency Well‐being
Key findings Meditation-based interventions, particularly those combining in-person and app-guided formats, showed the most consistent benefits for improving well-being and reducing stress and burnout among critical care staff.

Abstract

Critical care staff face unique stressors, including high patient acuity and intense work environments, leading to high rates of burnout and emotional fatigue. While mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are increasingly recognised for reducing stress among healthcare workers, no prior review has specifically examined their impact within critical care settings. To evaluate the effectiveness of individual and workplace-delivered MBIs on improving well-being and reducing stress and burnout among critical care staff. This systematic review was conducted starting with a literature search using MeSH terms across EBSCOhost platforms. Studies involving doctors, nurses and allied health professionals working in ICUs, EDs, CCUs and perioperative units were assessed. Clinical and non-clinical trials were included if they reported outcome data on burnout, stress, job satisfaction or overall well-being. Studies were assessed for bias using validated tools (RoB2, ROBINS-I, JMI, MMAT). The thirty studies included in this review indicate meditation-based interventions, particularly those combining in-person and app-guided formats, showed the most consistent benefits across measured data. Yoga and aromatherapy demonstrated improvements, though feasibility was often limited by space and schedule. Studies employing multiple modalities often resulted in the strongest outcomes. Qualitative findings supported improved emotional regulation and workplace satisfaction but highlighted participation barriers such as work guilt and time constraints. This review highlights the potential of MBIs in enhancing resilience and well-being among critical care staff, offering a targeted synthesis not previously available. Implementing flexible, scalable MBIs in critical care environments may help mitigate burnout and support workforce sustainability. Future high-quality trials are needed to validate and optimise these interventions. This review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022323286).

Comparable studies

Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations 2014 Meta-analysis n = 3,515
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects 2009 Systematic review and meta-analysis
The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators 2012 Meta-analysis n = 163
Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission 2016 Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials n = 1,258
Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials 2011 Systematic review

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