Feasibility, Acceptability, and Outcomes of a Yoga-Based Meditation Intervention for Hospice Professionals to Combat Burnout
Carrie Heeter, Marcel Allbritton, Rebecca H Lehto, Patrick Miller, Patricia McDaniel, Michael Paletta
Preprints.org December 29, 2020 preprint DOI: 10.20944/preprints202012.0716.v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post feasibility and acceptability study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 151 |
| Population | Hospice professionals (clinical teams) at a large non-profit hospice organization |
| Intervention | Yoga-based meditation |
| Duration | 6-week intervention |
| Measures | Professional Fulfillment Index, Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness sub-scales |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | The yoga-based meditation intervention was feasible and acceptable, with half of hospice professionals wanting continued access. Higher interoceptive awareness was significantly related to lower burnout, especially lower work exhaustion. Meditation frequency was significantly related to higher interoceptive awareness but not to burnout, suggesting interoceptive awareness may play a role in reducing burnout risk. |
Abstract
Abstract: 1) Background. This research examined feasibility, acceptability and outcomes of delivering a 6-week yoga-based meditation intervention to clinical teams of hospice professionals (HPs) at a large non-profit hospice organization. The intervention was designed to increase mind-body integration and combat burnout. The manuscript was written for different audiences including research scientists who study interoception, burnout, meditation, or yoga, designers of meditation interventions, and hospice organizations looking for ways to mitigate HP burnout. 2) Methods. The intervention was launched within clinical teams, beginning with a half hour online introduction to the program and exposure to the week 1 meditation at each team’s monthly all-staff meeting. Throughout the program, HPs could access the meditations on their own via their workplace computers, tablets, and smartphones. Online pre- and post-intervention surveys with 151 HPs assessed burnout using the Professional Fulfillment Index and mind-body integration using the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness sub-scales. 3) Results. Half of HPs expressed a desire to continue to have access to the meditations after the 6-week program ended. Due to covid-19 work from home restrictions, three-fourth of HPs did a meditation at home, 29% in a car between patient visits (not while driving), and 23% at the office. Higher interoceptive awareness was significantly related to lower burnout, particularly lower work exhaustion. Meditation frequency was significantly related to higher interoceptive awareness but not to burnout. 4) Conclusions. Findings showed that yoga-based meditation intervention was feasible and acceptable and associated with higher interoceptive awareness. The results point to a role for interoceptive awareness in reducing the risk for burnout.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cites 11
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Health Care Professionals: Results From a Randomized Trial. International Journal of Stress Management May 1, 2005
- Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007
- Mindfulness starts with the body: somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- Interoception Drives Increased Rational Decision-Making in Meditators Playing the Ultimatum Game Frontiers in Neuroscience 2011
- Exploring how different types of yoga change psychological resources and emotional well-being across a single session. Complementary Therapies in Medicine March 1, 2020
and 6 more in the library