Mindfulness Practices for Healthcare Professional Trainees

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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A newly developed intervention, Mindfulness Based Practices for Health Care Professionals in Training: Clinical Applications, will be piloted to determine the feasibility and accessibility within this population. The purpose of the proposed study is to assess the change in perceived stress at work/school and psychological symptomology; i.e., depression, stress, emotion regulation, and dispositional mindfulness, from pre to post intervention in health care professional students and when compared to a matched control group.

Detailed Description
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The proposed study aims to investigate an 8-week intervention: Mindfulness Based Practices for Health Care Professionals in Training: Clinical Applications. During the intervention, participants will engage in didactic education, experiential mindfulness practices, including gentle yoga, and group dialogue. The aim of the study is to investigate the feasibility of this intervention in producing measurable differences between the participants and matched controls on their perception of their well-being and clinical work.

Official Title
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Mindfulness Practices for Healthcare Professional Trainees

Conditions
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Stress

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Mindfulness Based Practices for Health Care Professionals in Training


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Students/faculty from any health care department at VCU Exclusion Criteria: Anyone who is not a student/faculty from a health care department at VCU

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Mindfulness Based Practices for Health Care Professionals<br> | Behavioral: Mindfulness Based Practices for Health Care Professionals in Training<br>* Eight weekly sessions including didactic lecture, discussion, homework, gentle yoga, and meditation and mindfulness exercises<br>|
| No Intervention: Control Group<br> | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in burnout | Assessed using Maslach Burnout Inventory a 22 item screening tool with higher values indicating more burnout | administered at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and 3 month post-intervention follow-up | 
| Change in depressive symptoms | Assessed using Patient Health Questionnaire 9. 9-items with lower values indicating less depression | administered at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and 3 month post-intervention follow-up | 
| Change in state anxiety | Assessed using State Trait Anxiety Inventory -- a 20 item measure with some items reverse scored and higher scored indicating higher state anxiety | administered at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and 3 month post-intervention follow-up | 
| Change in ruminative thinking | Assessed using Rumination Response Scale -- a 10 item measure with higher scores indicating higher rumination | administered at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and 3 month post-intervention follow-up | 
| Change in stress | Assessed using Perceived Stress Scale -- a 14-item scale with higher scores indicating higher levels of stress | administered at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and 3 month post-intervention follow-up | 
| Change in dispositional mindfulness | Assessed using Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire -- a 39-item measure of 5 domains of mindfulness in daily life, with higher scores indicating higher levels of mindfulness | administered at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and 3 month post-intervention follow-up | 
| Change in cognitive functioning | Assessed using Trail Making Test A & B -- a brief task requiring respondents to connect numbered dots and then switch between number and letters, speed and accuracy are both recorded | administered at baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in interprofessional attitudes measure | Assessed using Interprofessional Team Training Assessment -- a 22-item measure and Student Perceptions of Physician-Pharmacist Interprofessional Clinical Education -- a 10-item measure; both with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes toward interprofessional training | administered at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and 3 month post-intervention follow-up | 
| Follow-up Interview of Perceptions of Mindfulness and Interprofessional Education | qualitative interview and exploration -- participants will spend approximately 30 minute by phone being interviewed on their experiences with the intervention especially in the context of healthcare and interprofessional education | assessed at 3-month post-intervention follow-up |