Impact of Mind–Body Medicine Professional Skills Training on Healthcare Professional Burnout

Abstract

Background: Healthcare professional burnout has reached epidemic proportions, with downstream effects on personal and patient health and on our institutions. Solutions lie in the domains of work culture, operational efforts, and personal strategies. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a 5-day mind–body medicine professional training program on burnout and quality of life. Methods: We conducted pre- and postevaluation of a mind–body medicine skills training for healthcare professionals on 6 wellness domains using 2 validated instruments: the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Professional Quality of Life Survey. Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in changes in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment, compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress which was sustained at 12 months. Largest relative improvements occurred in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, 22% and 21%, respectively. Conclusion: In addition to providing an important patient care skill set, mind–body medicine training may be an effective way to mitigate burnout and improve healthcare professional well-being.