Mantra meditation programme for emergency department staff: a qualitative study.
Julie Lynch, Lucia Prihodova, Pádraic J Dunne, Caoimhe O'Leary, Rachel Breen, Áine Carroll, Cathal Walsh, Geraldine McMahon, Barry White
BMJ Open September 24, 2018 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020685 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and administrative staff working in an emergency department in Dublin, Ireland |
| Intervention | Mantra meditation programme |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Emergency medicine Healthcare professionals Mantra Qualitative research Wellbeing |
| Key findings | Emergency department staff who attended a mantra meditation programme reported increased attention and awareness, improved emotion regulation, new coping mechanisms, relaxation, and better sleep, alongside barriers like scheduling and individual differences. |
Abstract
Rates of burnout and stress in healthcare practitioners are steadily increasing. Emergency department (ED) staff are particularly susceptible to such poor outcomes. Mantra meditation (MM) may contribute to increased well-being. The primary aim of this study was to obtain indepth qualitative feedback on ED staff's experience of a MM programme. A secondary objective was to harness staff's perception of the ED working environment. Qualitative study. ED in St James' Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. Doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and administrative staff (n=10, eight women, mean age 35.6 years) working in the ED who attended a MM programme. Semistructured interviews were conducted by a trained independent researcher. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed. Five main themes and six subthemes were identified: work pressure and perceived stress; perceived benefits of meditation (with subthemes of increased attention/awareness, improved emotion regulation and new coping mechanisms, relaxation and sleep quality); conflicting attitudes to practice; barriers to meditation practice (with subthemes of schedule, length of practice and individual differences); and facilitators to practice. ED staff in this study described the demands of their work and voiced a need for a workplace well-being programme. Our findings suggest that MM might represent a viable tool to develop attention and awareness, improve emotion regulation and improve their capacity to cope with stress, which may impact their workplace well-being, wider health service, patient safety and quality of care. Support from the organisation is considered to be integral to embedding of a workplace well-being programme, such as the practice of meditation into their daily lives.