The Impact of Transcendental Meditation: Reducing Burnout and Enhancing Well-Being in Frontline Healthcare Clinicians During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Healthcare clinicians experience high rates of professional burnout, and there is increasing concern about the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on emotional well-being. Given the intense stress related to caring for COVID-19 patients, there is a need for practical, evidence-informed interventions that can help support clinician well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) intervention in a sample of 32 healthcare clinicians who provided care to COVID-19 patients. Participants received formal instruction in TM and were encouraged to practice TM twice daily during the three-month study period. After one month, statistically significant improvements were seen for the burnout factor of emotional exhaustion, depression, anxiety, and mental well-being. After three months, these improvements were maintained with additional improvement in the burnout factor of personal accomplishment. The largest effect sizes were found for depression, mental well-being, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion. Participants reported high rates of daily TM practice, thereby supporting the feasibility of the approach for busy clinicians. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge supporting TM as an effective practice to reduce burnout and improve well-being.