Enhancing Familiarity and Utility: A Pre-Post Survey Study on Mental Practice Workshop Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cognitive Psychology
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Mental practice, a cognitive skill training method, involves rehearsing procedures mentally without physical movement.
• It shows potential for improving clinical performance and patient outcomes in high-stakes medical fields like emergency medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess emergency physicians' awareness and current use of mental practice.
• To evaluate the impact of a basic workshop on their attitudes and intentions regarding mental practice.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post survey design was employed.
• Twenty medical professionals participated in a 2-day workshop on mental practice.
• Structured questionnaires assessed knowledge, attitudes, and intentions before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• Prior to the workshop, only 65% were aware of mental practice, with 10% using it clinically.
• Post-workshop, familiarity (2.2 to 4.1) and perceived helpfulness (3.9 to 4.7) significantly increased.
• Confidence and intention to apply mental practice clinically rose to 100% among participants.

Conclusions:

• A brief educational intervention can significantly enhance emergency physicians' engagement with mental practice.
• Mental practice holds promise for improving procedural skills and patient care.
• The study advocates for integrating mental practice into medical training curricula.