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The 'take-5 theatre brief': Group mindfulness practice for operating theatre teams.

James Schuster-Bruce, Eleanor Crossley, David Peters, Ananth Sathyanath, Daghni Rajasingam, Venu Shylaja, Irfan Syed, Raj Lakhani

The clinical teacher August 2024 DOI: 10.1111/tct.13735 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Sample size 17
Population Surgical theatre team members across a range of roles at two district general hospitals in the United Kingdom
Topics Meditation
Key findings Participants rated the take-5 theatre brief as helpful (median Likert 5), likely to benefit themselves (median 5) and the team (median 5), and easy to fit into the day (median 4). Implementation required no financial investment and was generally easy, but was challenged on theatre lists that started late. The authors conclude the brief is an acceptable initiative for these two operating theatre teams.

Abstract

A surgical team works in a high-performance environment and is exposed to stress. Mindfulness practice is evidenced to reduce symptoms of stress, as well as burnout, which is high amongst health workers. The operating theatre is unique, with many job-roles, needs and time-critical tasks. It is plausible that group mindfulness may benefit the surgical team. This evaluates the take-5 theatre brief, consisting of a 'check-in' and short breathwork, when used by two surgical teams as part of the regular theatre team brief. The take-5 theatre brief was evaluated using domains of acceptability and implementation. Data were collected at two district general hospitals in the United Kingdom using 5-point Likert scales hosted on electronic surveys Thematic analysis was performed of participant voice notes, strategic meeting notes and transcripts of interviews between key informants. There were 17 participants. Ten were from site A (59%), with the remainder being from site B (41%) and covered a range of roles within the theatre team. Participants found the take-5 theatre brief helpful (median Likert 5) and felt that it would benefit themselves (median Likert 5) as well as the team (median Likert 5) and that it fitted into the day easily (median Likert 4). There was a high demand, no financial investment was required and overall it was easy to implement; however, it became challenged in theatre lists that were late to start. The take-5 theatre brief is an acceptable initiative for these two operating theatre teams.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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