Introduction to Mindfulness: Evidence-Based Medicine Lecture and Active Session

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Mindfulness Practices
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Growing evidence supports mindfulness for patient and professional resilience.
• Medical students lack readily available resources on mindfulness evidence.
• Need for structured mindfulness education in medical schools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an introductory mindfulness session for medical students.
• To assess student knowledge, interest, and curriculum integration of mindfulness.
• To provide an evidence-based approach to mindfulness education.

Main Methods:

• A PowerPoint lecture on mindfulness with evidence-based facts.
• An active, practical mindfulness exercise.
• Pre- and post-session surveys using audience response technology to assess knowledge and interest.

Main Results:

• 90% of first- and second-year medical students expressed interest in learning more about mindfulness.
• The majority of students desired mindfulness integration into the medical school curriculum.
• The session was delivered by a physician experienced in clinical mindfulness.

Conclusions:

• The introductory mindfulness session effectively engaged medical students.
• The session can be adopted by other institutions to introduce mindfulness.
• Results indicate strong student interest in further mindfulness training and practice in healthcare.