Implementing mindfulness meditation in hand surgery training: a feasibility study.
Lilli Cooper, Theodora Papavasiliou, Lauren Uppal, Charles Bain
European journal of plastic surgery 2022 DOI: 10.1007/s00238-022-01962-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial (feasibility study) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 17 |
| Population | Surgical trainees participating in a single-day hand fracture fixation course |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Dose | 10-min guided meditation session |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Covid-19 Hand surgery Training |
| Key findings | A 10-minute guided mindfulness meditation session before assessment led the meditation group to report feeling significantly more relaxed and calm than controls (p < .01), and the intervention was largely acceptable. The authors suggest potential for a targeted programme to reduce stress sensitivity and improve performance, joy, and well-being in surgical training. |
Abstract
Surgery can be stressful, requiring decision-making and performance under pressure. The COVID-19 pandemic has further challenged surgeons' well-being and training. Excess stress adversely affects well-being, technical and non-technical performance, and, by extension, patient care. Little emphasis has been placed on interventions to improve individual surgeons' stress resilience despite mindfulness training being robustly linked to resilience, well-being, and improved executive function and performance. This feasibility study aimed to evaluate the effect and acceptability of a mindfulness meditation session on a group of surgical trainees during a hand fracture fixation course. All participants of a single-day hand fracture fixation course were invited to take part in the study, and randomised into two groups. The intervention group experienced a 10-min guided meditation session before their assessment, while the control group did not. Basic demographics, inherent 'trait' mindfulness, change in mood, and perceived acceptability were compared between the two groups. The 17 participants were demographically similar, as were their self-reported mood scores until after the meditation, where they diverged significantly (p < .01, t-test), with the meditation group feeling more relaxed and calm. Meditation as an intervention was considered largely acceptable. Mindfulness meditation is established in improving stress resilience, relevant to surgeon well-being, performance, and patient care. This feasibility study suggests benefit and acceptability, and potential for further research in designing a targeted programme for surgeons, to reduce stress sensitivity, and improve performance, joy, and well-being within surgical training.Level of evidence: Level III, Therapeutic study. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00238-022-01962-1.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Feasibility of Formal Mindfulness-Based Stress-Resilience Training Among Surgery Interns JAMA Surgery August 30, 2018
- Enhanced Stress Resilience Training in Surgeons: Iterative Adaptation and Biopsychosocial Effects in 2 Small Randomized Trials. Annals of surgery March 1, 2021