Shared meditation involving cancer patients, health professionals and third persons is relevant and improves well-being: IMPLIC pilot study

A shared mindfulness and compassion meditation program for cancer patients, health professionals, and third persons was feasible and well-accepted. Of 30 participants in two groups, 70% attended at least 80% of 13 sessions. Satisfaction was high, with a median score of 9.1 out of 10. Participants reported significant improvements in stress, global quality of life, self-efficacy, and mindfulness skills from before to after the program. All expressed positive attitudes and perceived benefit on their quality of life. The results support a future randomized study to test whether shared meditation builds bridges between these groups.

Study at a glance

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Alleviating suffering and improving quality of life are universally shared goals. In this context, we implemented a pilot study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness intervention in the form of meditation involving together cancer patients, health professionals, and third persons. METHODS: Two groups of 15 participants equally composed of patients, health professionals and third persons were constituted. A dedicated programme on mindfulness and compassion was constructed, including 12 weekly sessions of 1.5 h and a half-day retreat. Adherence and satisfaction with the programme were evaluated. All participants completed questionnaires on perceived stress, quality of life, mindfulness, empathy, and self-efficacy. Burnout was assessed in health professionals. RESULTS: Shared meditation was feasible as 70% of participants attended ≥ 80% of the 13 meditation sessions. Satisfaction with the programme was high (median satisfaction score: 9.1 out of 10) and all participants expressed positive attitudes towards shared meditation and a benefit on their global quality of life. Participants reported significant improvement in stress (p < 0.001), global quality of life (p = 0.004), self-efficacy (p < 0.001), and mindfulness skills (p < 0.001) from baseline to post-programme. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the feasibility of a shared dedicated meditation programme in terms of participation and acceptability of participants. The measured benefits observed among participants furthermore justify the interest of a subsequent randomized study aiming to demonstrate the potential added value of shared meditation by promoting bridge-building between cancer patients, health professionals and others. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT04410185 . Registered on June 1, 2020.