The Interpersonal Mindfulness Program for Health Care Professionals: a Feasibility Study.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Healthcare Professionals
• Mindfulness-Based Interventions

Background:

• Mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) are effective for patients and healthcare professionals.
• The Interpersonal Mindfulness Program (IMP) is a novel MBP designed to enhance mindful presence, empathy, and compassion in interpersonal interactions.
• Prior mindfulness training is a prerequisite for participation in the IMP.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of the IMP for mental health care workers.
• To assess the IMP's effects on mindfulness, self-compassion, empathy, stress, and professional quality of life.
• To compare outcomes between IMP participants and a control group.

Main Methods:

• The IMP involved nine weekly 2.5-hour sessions with daily home practice (45-60 minutes).
• Twenty-five participants with prior mindfulness experience underwent the IMP training.
• Twenty-two control group participants also had prior mindfulness training; all completed pre- and post-training questionnaires.

Main Results:

• The IMP training was highly acceptable and useful.
• Significant positive effects were observed in self-compassion, empathy, and compassion fatigue.
• No significant effects were found for mindfulness, stress, or compassion satisfaction; mild adverse reactions were reported by five participants.

Conclusions:

• The IMP demonstrates feasibility for healthcare professionals, with notable improvements in specific interpersonal and emotional domains.
• Mild adverse effects were noted, suggesting careful monitoring.
• Further investigation with larger samples is warranted to confirm effectiveness and elucidate mechanisms of change.