Improved Physician Well-Being with Training in Mindfulness and Reflection

Distress and burnout are highly prevalent in medical students, residents, and physicians, but intervention studies are sparse. In this study, researchers at the Mayo Clinic randomized 74 practicing physician volunteers (general and specialty internists; mostly men) to a 9-month intervention consisting of 1-hour, small-group facilitated discussions every two weeks or to a control group that received equivalent unscheduled time; time for both groups was paid. The intervention focused on mindfulness, reflection, problem solving, work-life balance, and job satisfaction. Several validated instruments were used at baseline and during and after the intervention to assess meaning at work, well-being, and distress.

Intervention participants attended …