Burnout is a very common disorder among doctors, with broad implications both for the professionals themselves and even for patients and healthcare systems. To alleviate the effects of this disorder, a randomized controlled study, conducted at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine…
Burnout is a very common disorder among doctors, with broad implications both for the professionals themselves and even for patients and healthcare systems.
To alleviate the effects of this disorder, a randomized controlled study conducted at the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago (USA) suggests the practice of meditation techniques.
The work, published in the ‘Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions’, which examines, for the first time, the effects of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique found notable effects in the reduction of symptoms of exhaustion and depression in the physicians who practiced it.
“Prior to treatment, the doctors were discouraged by the impact burnout was having on their work and personal lives. Seeing that both burnout and depression were significantly reduced in the 1-month and 4-month posttests for the Transcendental Meditation group indicates a real possibility of alleviating these symptoms across the healthcare profession.”the teacher explained Marie Loisel, lead author and senior researcher at the Center for Social and Emotional Health at Maharish International University (USA).
For the study, 40 physicians participated for four months, comparing the TM technique with usual treatment controls. TM is described as a simple and effortless technique, practiced for 20 minutes twice a day, sitting with eyes closed. TM allows the ordinary thought processes become more inactive, which results in a unique state of well-being and rest.
According to him Dr. Gregory Gruener, study co-author and associate dean for education at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, “Longevity in a career that will span 40 to 50 years requires a physician to take the ‘long-term view.’ While knowledge, skills, and attitude are essential, TM provides mental clarity and calm“
The participants started from a state characterized by total exhaustion, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2) was also used to determine the effectiveness of TM on depressive symptoms over the same time period.
Repeated measures analysis of covariance was used to assess adjusted mean change scores. Significant improvements were found for the TM group compared to controls in total exhaustion ( P = 0.020), including the MBI dimensions of emotional exhaustion ( P = 0.042) and personal fulfillment ( P = 0.018) and depression ( P = 0,016 ).
“These results coincide with the research on Transcendental Meditation recently published in ´JAMA Network Open´ and the ´Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians´ showing the magnitude of the effect of TM on exhaustion and depression symptoms in healthcare personnel. The findings are also consistent with research conducted in other population groups.”indicated, for his part, Sanford Nidich, co-author and director of the Center for Social and Emotional Health at Maharish International University (USA).