PLEINE CONSCIENCE | Laboratoire REMIX

Why ?

The performance of healthcare systems depends on the health and well-being of their staff. For patients to receive excellent care, healthcare professionals must be able to find meaning in their work and maintain a minimum level of well-being. Yet, many healthcare professionals, particularly those in primary care, experience higher rates of distress and burnout than the general population. Studies have already highlighted the positive effects of mindfulness on the mental health and well-being of healthcare professionals, but few mindfulness-based interventions are suitable for primary care.

Methods

We conducted a pilot and feasibility study in two university family medicine clinics in the Lower St. Lawrence region of Quebec (the Rimouski University Family Medicine Group and the Trois-Pistoles University Family Medicine Group). Participants were divided into two groups: 1) an intervention group that received 5 weeks of online training in meditation and mindfulness, and 2) a control group on a waiting list. Participants were primary care professionals or residents of the clinics. Their mindfulness practices, mental health, and well-being were assessed at baseline (T0), immediately after the 5-week training (T1), and after a 2-month follow-up (T2).

Results and Impacts

We recruited a total of 32 participants, including 16 in the intervention group and 16 in the control group.

Main results:

All participants in the intervention group were able to attend at least 4 of the 5 mindfulness training sessions.

The acceptability of the training was very well evaluated by the participants.

Compared to participants in the control group, participants in the intervention group obtained significantly higher scores on measures of their well-being after training.

There were no differences between the groups in measures of distress or symptoms of depression or anxiety.

Research Projects

MINDFULNESS