Mindfulness and compassion-oriented practices at work reduce distress and enhance self-care of palliative care teams: a mixed-method evaluation of an “on the job“ program

A 10-week mindfulness and compassion-oriented meditation training for 28 interdisciplinary palliative care staff was piloted to reduce distress and foster resilience. Significant improvements occurred in two of three burnout components (emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment), anxiety, stress, two emotional regulation competences, and joy at work. 85% of individual goals were attained. Qualitative data indicated enhanced self-care, mindful pauses in work routines, reduced rumination and distress from patient contact, and improved team communication. The authors suggest the training may be a feasible and effective way to reduce caregiver distress and enhance resources for palliative care teams.

Study at a glance

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Maintaining a sense of self-care while providing patient centered care, can be difficult for practitioners in palliative medicine. We aimed to pilot an "on the job" mindfulness and compassion-oriented meditation training for interdisciplinary teams designed to reduce distress, foster resilience and strengthen a prosocial motivation in the clinical encounter. METHODS: Our objective was to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of this newly developed training. The study design was an observational, mixed-method pilot evaluation, with qualitative data, self-report data, as well as objective data (cortisol) measured before and after the program. Twenty-eight staff members of an interdisciplinary palliative care team participated in the 10-week training conducted at their workplace. Measures were the Perceived Stress Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the somatic complaints subscale of the SCL-90-R, the Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and a Goal Attainment Scale that assessed two individual goals. Semi-structured interviews were employed to gain insight into the perceived outcomes and potential mechanisms of action of the training. T-tests for dependent samples were employed to test for differences between baseline and post-intervention. RESULTS: Significant improvements were found in two of three burnout components (emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment), anxiety, stress, two emotional regulation competences and joy at work. Furthermore, 85% of the individual goals were attained. Compliance and acceptance rates were high and qualitative data revealed a perceived enhancement of self-care, the integration of mindful pauses in work routines, a reduction in rumination and distress generated in the patient contact as well as an enhancement of interpersonal connection skills. An improvement of team communication could also be identified. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the training may be a feasible, effective and practical way of reducing caregiver-distress and enhancing the resources of palliative care teams.