Pilot study on subjectively and objectively measurable stress reduction in the daily routine of a university anesthesia department by an intervention program according to mindfulness-based stress reduction

Background Chronic stress and high workload in physicians can lead to loss of interest, emotional exhaustion and finally in burnout syndrome. This can cause serious consequences not only for the physicians personally and their own health by developing extensive health impairments, e.g. depression, suicide, substance abuse and poor self-care but also for patient care, reflected in an increase of medical errors, longer recovery times, lower care quality and consequently lower patient satisfaction. Additionally, it can also have negative effects on the healthcare system by reduced productivity, increased physician turnover and thereby higher costs. Objective This pilot study investigated brief interventions inspired by mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) combined with short daily meditation exercises in the everyday work of anesthetists at a university hospital. Secondly, whether this program increases the development of coping mechanisms for stress and improves participants' resilience and health status. Material and methods The pilot study was designed as a monocenter prospective interventional study with four different points of measurement. Subjective and objective stress parameters were measured directly before (t0) and after (t1) the intervention as well as 3 (t2) and 6 (t3) months after end of the intervention. Measurements took place during work time and at the workplace. The intervention was based on the classical MBSR including short daily exercises and lasted for 6 weeks with sessions lasting 1- 1.5 & x202f;h and an additional 20 & x202f;min of daily mediation exercises. The subjective parameters were based on validated questionnaires, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) well-being index (WHO-5), resilience scale (RS-11), Maslach burnout inventory (MBI-22) and perceived stress scale (PSS-10). For objective parameters heart rate variability (HRV) was evaluated during rest and after exposure to physical exercise and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in a 1.5 & x202f;cm length of a hair, which represents the equivalent of a 6-week period. Results Data from 27 subjects could be analyzed. Between t3 and t0 a significant improvement of resilience was detected as a positive personality trait measured by RS-11 with a large effect size (p & x202f;= 0.013; r & x202f;= 0.59) as well as a significant reduction of burnout symptoms (MBI-22) also with a large effect size (p & x202f;= 0.019; r & x202f;= 0.57). Furthermore, a significant decrease was found in well-being (WHO-5) between t2 and t0 (p & x202f;= 0.003, r & x202f;= 0.67) and between t1 and t0 (p & x202f;= 0.001, r & x202f;= 0.71). The objective parameters did not show any significant differences between the examinations. Conclusion An MBSR-based intervention in combination with short exercises during and after work can be implemented in daily work of anesthetists at a university hospital. Furthermore, there was clear evidence that the intervention program increased resilience and reduced burnout symptoms for up to 6 months. These findings are in line with the literature that MBSR reduces risk of burnout symptoms. The decrease in well-being might be biased by a high amount of socially accepted answers at the beginning of the study (t0).