Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions (01/26/23) Loiselle, Marie; Brown, Carla; Travis, Frederick; et al.

A mixed methods randomized controlled trial explored the impact of Transcendental Meditation (TM) as an intervention for academic physician burnout and depression. Forty academic physicians across 15 specialties at a medical school and affiliated Veterans Affairs hospital participated, and their symptoms of burnout and depression were measured as baseline, one month and four months. In terms of total burnout, the TM cohort showed significant improvement over the control cohort at four months. Physicians cited classic burnout and depression symptoms in baseline interviews; however, those who practiced TM regularly reported their symptoms were alleviated, while controls did not. "Mixed methods findings suggest the TM technique is a viable and effective intervention to decrease burnout and depression for academic physicians," the authors conclude. They call for validating these findings as they apply to the wider medical community through larger longitudinal studies with a broader spectrum of healthcare providers.

Read More