Bookmark & Share

Favorites	Google
Digg	Del.icio.us
Twitter	Facebook

>> More...

A study appearing in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that primary care physicians who participated in a continuing medical education (CME) program that emphasizes reflection on clinical experiences reported feeling less burned out, MedPage Today reports. According to the researchers, as many as 60 percent of physicians experience burnout, which previous research has tied to reductions in care quality, decreased patient satisfaction, increased medical errors and resulting litigation, and a reduced ability to express empathy toward patients. To evaluate whether a mindful communication education program aimed at physicians could reduce burnout, a researcher from the University of Rochester in New York and colleagues enrolled 70 Rochester-area physicians in an eight-week intensive CME program that included a weekly, 2.5 hour session followed by a seven-hour retreat. Through the program, physicians were taught mindful meditation, narrative medicine and appreciative inquiry in an effort to increase their attention and awareness. The initial intensive period was followed by a 10-month maintenance phase consisting of 2.5 hour monthly sessions. At 15 months follow-up, participating physicians reported improvements in several domains, with the largest improvement reported in measures of mindfulness and significant improvements observed for all three measures of burnout, including emotional exhaustion, depersonalizion and personal accomplishment. Significant achievements were also observed in measures of empathy and on the physician belief scale, suggesting a shift toward placing greater value on patient's emotional health. Small to moderate improvements were also observed in several mood aspects, including total score, depression, anger, fatigue and vigor, as well as measures of conscientiousness and emotional stability. However, the researchers were unable to track how these improvements impacted clinical care. Writing in an accompanying editorial, a physician at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., notes that the study's results provide evidence that "training physicians in the art of mindful practice has the potential to promote physician health through work." He further adds that helping physicians "recognize and enhance the meaning they derive from the practice of medicine may help protect against burnout and promote patient-centered care for the benefit of both physicians and their patients" (Neale, MedPage Today, 9/22/09; Krasner et al., Journal of the American Medical Association, 9/22/09 [subscription required]).