Heal the Healers: A pilot study evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, and exploratory efficacy of a Transcendental Meditation intervention for emergency clinicians during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
Desiree R Azizoddin, Noelia Kvaternik, Meghan Beck, Guohai Zhou, Mohammad Adrian Hasdianda, Natasha Jones, Lily Johnsky, Dana D. Im, Peter R. Chai, Edward W Boyer
Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open December 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12619 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Single-arm pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 31 |
| Population | Emergency clinicians (physicians, nurses, and physician-assistants) from 2 urban hospitals |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Duration | 3 months |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Pa burnout Clinician intervention Covid‐19 Nurse burnout Pandemic Physician burnout Pilot study Transcendental meditation Video‐delivery |
| Key points | Transcendental Meditation training was feasible for emergency clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic and led to significant reductions in burnout and psychological symptoms. |
Abstract
Emergency clinicians face elevated rates of burnout that result in poor outcomes for clinicians, patients, and health systems. The objective of this single-arm pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of a Transcendental Meditation (TM) intervention for emergency clinicians during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to explore the potential effectiveness in improving burnout, sleep, and psychological health. Emergency clinicians (physicians, nurses, and physician-assistants) from 2 urban hospitals were recruited to participate in TM instruction (8 individual or group in-person and remote sessions) for 3 months. Session attendance was the primary feasibility outcome (prespecified as attending 6/8 sessions), and burnout was the primary clinical outcome. Participant-reported measures of feasibility and validated measures of burnout, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and stress were collected at baseline and the 1-month and 3-month follow-ups. Descriptive statistics and linear mixed-effects models were used. Of the 14 physicians (46%), 7 nurses (22%), and 10 physician-assistants (32%) who participated, 61% were female (n = 19/32). TM training and at-home meditation practice was feasible for clinicians as 90.6% (n = 29/32) attended 6/8 training sessions and 80.6% self-reported meditating at least once a day on average. Participants demonstrated significant reductions in burnout (P < .05; effect sizes, Cohen's d = 0.43-0.45) and in symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disturbance (P values < .001; Cohen's d = 0.70-0.87). TM training was feasible for emergency clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic and led to significant reductions in burnout and psychological symptoms. TM is a safe and effective meditation tool to improve clinicians' well-being.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Mindfulness-based interventions for improving mental health of frontline healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. Systematic Reviews June 20, 2024
- Clinical Nurse Well-being Improved Through Transcendental Meditation: A Multimethod Randomized Controlled Trial. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration 2024
- Addressing Clinician Burnout: A Unifying Systems Medicine Model with Meditation as a Heart-mind Intervention. Heart and Mind September 18, 2023
- A Larger Lens: Medical Students Benefit from Consciousness-Based Self-Care Palgrave studies in workplace spirituality and fulfillment 2023
- A pilot intervention to reduce burnout and enhance resilience through transcendental meditation among Georgetown University medical students. BMC Medical Education April 3, 2025
and 11 more in the library
Cites 11
- Standardised Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Healthcare: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of RCTs PLoS One April 16, 2015
- Blood Pressure Response to Transcendental Meditation: A Meta-analysis American Journal of Hypertension February 29, 2008
- Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on Trait Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine October 9, 2013
- Effect of Transcendental Meditation on Employee Stress, Depression, and Burnout: A Randomized Controlled Study The Permanente Journal January 30, 2014
- Meditation Effective in Reducing Teacher Burnout and Improving Resilience: A Randomized Controlled Study Frontiers in Education March 4, 2021
and 6 more in the library