Should Mindfulness for Health Care Workers Go Virtual? A Mindfulness-Based Intervention Using Virtual Reality and Heart Rate Variability in the Emergency Department.
King Pascual, Amiad Fredman, Athanasios Naum, Chaitrali Patil, Neal Sikka
Workplace Health & Safety April 2023 DOI: 10.1177/21650799221123258 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled intervention trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 32 |
| Population | Primarily medical students, resident physicians, and registered nurses in the emergency department on-call room of a large urban academic medical center |
| Duration | 4 weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mbi Digital health Heart rate variability Medical education Virtual reality Wellness |
| Key findings | Self-reported anxiety improved in both the VR and mobile app groups after the study. The VR group showed higher within-session heart-rate variability progress, indicating greater relaxation, which correlated with the number of sessions completed. Heart-rate variability metrics differed between male and female VR participants. The authors argue VR may be a more effective meditation platform than standalone mobile apps, especially with routine use. |
Abstract
Research on burnout in the medical community has extensively studied the impact of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), which can include meditation, outdoor retreats, in-person didactics, and/or online wellness modules. However, in addition to these MBIs lacking objective, physiological measures for wellness, there has been little to no research involving virtual reality (VR) as an MBI modality for healthcare professionals in the United States. A randomized controlled intervention trial was used to study the impact of VR-based guided-meditations in the form of brief paced-breathing exercises. Heart-rate variability (HRV), a biomarker for relaxation, was measured during each session. Thirty-two participants, consisting of primarily medical students, resident physicians, and registered nurses, were recruited to complete brief guided-meditations via a VR headset or a standalone mobile app in the emergency department (ED) on-call room of a large urban academic medical center. A total of 213 guided-meditation sessions were completed over the course of 4 weeks. Self-reported ratings of anxiety improved in both VR and mobile groups post-study. However, the VR group demonstrated higher intrasession HRV progress, indicating increased state of relaxation that also correlated with the number of sessions completed. Analysis by gender revealed disparity in HRV metrics between male and female VR participants. VR-based guided meditations prove to be a feasible and accessible MBI that does not require extensive time commitment for healthcare workers. VR may be a more effective meditation platform compared with standalone mobile meditation apps, especially when used on a routine basis.
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
Cited by 9
- Incorporating biofeedback into the Mindfulness in Motion Intervention for health care professionals: Impact on sleep and stress. Explore 2024
- Enhancing Mindfulness Effects on Well-Being Using Immersive Virtual Reality in Non-Clinical Populations: Where Are We Going? Mindfulness November 10, 2025
- Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Educational Program for Mindfulness and Emotional Management for Healthcare Professionals Research Square September 1, 2023
- The Psychological Reconstruction of Mindfulness: From Buddhist Origins to Modern Operationalization Human Arenas May 7, 2026
- Virtual EMO-Mind: Exploring the Benefits of Virtual Mindfulness for Heart Rate Variability and Emotional Skills in Young Students Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback January 3, 2026
and 4 more in the library
Cites 4
- Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review British Medical Bulletin April 21, 2021
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Physical and Psychological Wellbeing in Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Brain Sciences May 29, 2021
- Mindfulness-based psychological interventions for improving mental well-being in medical students and junior doctors. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews December 10, 2021
- Stay Present with Your Phone: A Systematic Review and Standardized Rating of Mindfulness Apps in European App Stores. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine November 20, 2020