Mindfulness and compassion training on daily work with patients and within the multiprofessional palliative care team: a retrospective self-assessment study
Franziska Lautwein, Manuela Schallenburger, Alexandra Scherg, Daniel Schlieper, André Karger, Yesche Udo Regel, Jacqueline Schwartz, Martin Neukirchen
BMC Palliative Care April 10, 2023 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-023-01158-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort (pre-post self-assessment) Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | Employees of a university-based specialized palliative care unit |
| Intervention | Mindfulness and compassion course |
| Duration | 8-week course |
| Topics | Meditation End-of-life distress |
| Keywords | Palliative care Pain medicine Self-compassion Compassion fatigue Nursing Psychotherapist Clinical psychology Anesthesiology |
| Citations | 9 |
| Key findings | The mindfulness and compassion course was feasible and acceptable, with high satisfaction and moderate learning gains, particularly in knowledge and techniques. |
Abstract
Background: Palliative care teams work under challenging conditions in a sensitive setting with difficult tasks. The multi-professional team can play an important role. Mindfulness and compassion-based practices are used to build resilience. Our aim was to examine (1) feasibility and acceptability, (2) satisfaction and impact, and (3) opportunities and limitations of a mindfulness course.
Methods: An eight-week mindfulness and compassion course was delivered in a university-based specialized palliative care unit. A meditation teacher provided preparatory evening sessions and meditation exercises that could be integrated into daily activities. The scientific analysis of the course was based on a questionnaire developed for quality assessmentThe first two parts consisted of demographic, Likert-type, and free-text items. Part 3 consisted of learning objectives that were self-assessed after finishing the course (post-then). In the analysis, we used descriptive statistics, qualitative content analysis, and comparative self-assessment.
Results: Twenty four employees participated. 58% of participants attended 4 or more of the 7 voluntary mindfulness days. 91% expressed moderate to high satisfaction and would recommend the palliative care program to others. Three main categories emerged in the qualitative content analysis: providing feedback on the course, personal impact, and impact on professional life. The opportunity for self-care in a professional context was highlighted. Learning gains (CSA Gain) were high (38.5-49.4%) in terms of knowledge and techniques, moderate (26.2-34.5%) in terms of implementation of learned skills, and rather low (12.7-24.6%) in terms of changes to attitude.
Conclusion: Our evaluation shows that the participants of a mindfulness and compassion course considered it as a feasible and welcome tool to familiarize a multi-professional palliative care team with self-care techniques.
Trial Registration: July 2018).