The impact of psychological interventions with elements of mindfulness (PIM) on empathy, well-being, and reduction of burnout in physicians : a systematic review

Tement, Sara (author), Klemenc-Ketiš, Zalika (author), Miroševič, Špela (author), Selič-Zupančič, Polona (author)

Introduction: Physician’s burnout has been recognized as an increasing and significant work-related syndrome, described by the combination of emotional exhaustion (EE) and depersonalization (D), together with low personal accomplishment (PA). It has many negative consequences on personal, organizational, and patient care levels. This systematic review aimed to analyze research articles where psychological interventions with elements of mindfulness (PIMs) were used to support physicians in order to reduce burnout and foster empathy and well-being. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in May 2019, within six electronic databases PubMed, EBSCOhost MEDLINE, PsycArticles, Cochrane Library, JSTOR, and Slovenian national library information system. Different combinations of boolean operators were used—mindfulness, empathy, medicine/family medicine/general practice/primary care, burnout, doctors/physicians, intervention, and support group. Additional articles were manually searched from the reference list of the included articles. Studies with other healthcare professionals (not physicians and residents) and/or medical students, and those where PIMs were applied for educational or patient’s treatment purposes were excluded. Results: Of 1194 studies identified, 786 screened and 139 assessed for eligibility, there were 18 studies included in this review. Regardless of a specific type of PIMs applied, results, in general, demonstrate a positive impact on empathy, well-being, and reduction in burnout in participating physicians. Compared with other recent systematic reviews, this is unique due to a broader selection of psychological interventions and emphasis on a sustained effect measurement. Conclusions: Given the pandemic of COVID-19, it is of utmost importance that this review includes also interventions based on modern information technologies (mobile apps) and can be used as an awareness-raising material for physicians providing information about feasible and easily accessible interventions for effective burnout prevention and/or reduction. Future research should upgrade self-reported data with objective psychological measures and address the question of which intervention offers more benefits to physicians.

• Language: English
• Keywords: impact of psychological interventions, physicians, burnout, mindfulness, psychological intervention, empathy, well-being, MBSR
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 12 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 18, iss. 21, art. 11181
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-136442
• UDC: 614
• ISSN on article: 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111181
• COBISS.SI-ID: 82460419
• Publication date in RUL: 04.05.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of environmental research and public health
• Shortened title: Int. j. environ. res. public health
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1660-4601
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1818965

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.11.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: vpliv psiholoških intervencij, zdravniki, izgorelost

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P3-0339
• Name: Raziskave na področju javnega zdravja

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Funding programme: Young Researchers