Symptom reduction in palliative care from single session mindful breathing: a randomised controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care Medicine
• Mindfulness-Based Interventions
• Symptom Management

Background:

• Mindfulness-based interventions show promise for various health conditions.
• Evidence for mindfulness in palliative care is limited.
• Palliative care patients often experience multiple distressing symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a single 20-minute mindful breathing session.
• To assess the impact on multiple symptoms in palliative care patients.

Main Methods:

• Adult palliative care patients with symptoms scoring ≥5/10 (Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale) were recruited.
• Patients were randomized to receive 20-minute mindful breathing plus standard care or standard care alone.
• Symptom severity was assessed using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS).

Main Results:

• Forty patients were randomized (20 per group).
• The mindful breathing group showed a statistically significant reduction in total ESAS score at 20 minutes compared to the control group (p=0.005).
• A significant reduction in median symptom score was observed in the intervention group.

Conclusions:

• A single 20-minute mindful breathing session effectively reduced multiple symptoms in palliative care patients.
• This intervention provides rapid symptom alleviation.
• Mindful breathing is a viable option for symptom management in palliative care settings.