Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program to Improve Well-Being and Health in Healthcare Professionals.

Health-care professionals in Italy showed moderate distress on measures of perceived stress and burnout at baseline, though overall psychological well-being was not in the distressed range. After an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, well-being, stress, and burnout scores significantly improved. In a subgroup, lipid profiles also showed significant benefits. MBSR may be a promising complementary tool for improving both mental and physical health in this worker population.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate basal well-being and the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program in health-care professionals (HCPs), a recognized worker category subjected to elevated stress from job conditions. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-post study was conducted in Italian HCPs. Well-being (assessed by Psychological General Well-Being Index-PGWBI), stress (Perceived Stress Scale-PSS), and burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory-MBI) were collected at baseline and after an MBSR program. Moreover, levels of C reactive protein, glucose, and lipid profiles were also monitored in a subgroup. Results: At baseline, Total-PGWBI score value evidenced no distress, whereas Total-PSS and MBI dimensions (emotional exhaustion-EE, depersonalization and detachment from the job-DP, and lack of personal or professional accomplishment-PA) indicate moderate distress. After MBSR, PGWBI, PSS, and MBI dimensions significantly improved. Moreover, significant benefits on lipid profile were observed after MBSR. Conclusions: MBSR may be a promising method to improve well-being and lipid profile in HCPs. Thus, MBSR might represent a new future complementary prevention tool for mental and physical health maintenance in this category of workers.