Effectiveness of Mindfulness- and Relaxation-Based eHealth Interventions for Patients with Medical Conditions: a Systematic Review and Synthesis.
Michael Mikolasek, Jonas Berg, Claudia M Witt, Jürgen Barth
International Journal of Behavioral Medicine February 2018 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-017-9679-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,855 |
| Population | Patients with medical conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, chronic pain, surgery, and hypertension |
| Intervention | relaxation-based eHealth interventions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Patients Relaxation techniques Smartphone Study quality Ehealth |
| Key findings | The authors conclude that mindfulness- and relaxation-based eHealth interventions can have positive effects on patients' general health and psychological well-being, while no effects were found for stress or mindfulness. Economic analyses in five studies yielded no clear conclusion, and no smartphone app studies were retrieved. |
Abstract
This systematic review aims to summarize eHealth studies with mindfulness- and relaxation-based interventions for medical conditions and to determine whether eHealth interventions have positive effects on health. A comprehensive search of five databases was conducted for all available studies from 1990 to 2015. Studies were included if the intervention was mainly technology delivered and included a mindfulness- or relaxation-based intervention strategy and if patients with a medical condition were treated. Treatment effects were summarized for different outcomes. A total of 2383 records were identified, of which 17 studies with 1855 patients were included in this systematic review. These studies were conducted in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, chronic pain, surgery, and hypertension. All but one study were delivered online through a web-based platform; one study delivered the intervention with iPods. The studies indicate that mindfulness- and relaxation-based eHealth interventions can have positive effects on patients' general health and psychological well-being. No effects were found for stress or mindfulness. Only five studies reported economic analyses of eHealth interventions without any clear conclusion. There is some evidence that mindfulness- and relaxation-based eHealth interventions for medical conditions can have positive effects on health outcomes. Therefore, such interventions might be a useful addition to standard medical care. No app studies were retrieved, even though a vast number of smartphone apps exist which aim at increasing users' health. Therefore, more studies investigating those health apps are needed.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Effect of mindfulness-based interventions on people with prehypertension or hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC cardiovascular disorders February 14, 2024
- Waitlist-controlled trial of an online intervention to address mental health among older people living with HIV. Antiviral therapy December 1, 2023
- Effectiveness of an online mindfulness-based stress-reduction intervention to reduce anxiety in breast cancer survivors: a randomized-controlled trial. Supportive Care in Cancer June 24, 2025
- A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Among People Recovering from Mental Illness: A Tailored Mindfulness-Based Intervention versus Relaxation Training. Journal of evidence-based social work (2019) 2024
- Meditasi Mindfulness dengan Deep Focus Music terhadap Tekanan Darah dan Stres pada Penderita Hipertensi Lanjut Usia Jurnal Keperawatan Silampari November 29, 2022
and 11 more in the library
Cites 15
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 1, 2007
- Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica April 28, 2011
- Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation Neuroreport May 1, 2000
and 10 more in the library