AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MINDFULNESS MEDITATION ON ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND BURNOUT AMONG PHYSICIANS WORKING IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS

Abstract

Background

Emergency physicians routinely encounter high-acuity clinical situations, prolonged working hours, shift rotations, ethical dilemmas, and emotionally demanding patient care. These occupational demands substantially increase their susceptibility to anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and professional burnout. Mindfulness meditation has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological intervention to enhance emotional regulation, resilience, and psychological well-being among healthcare professionals.

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured mindfulness meditation program in reducing anxiety, depression, and burnout among physicians working in emergency departments.

Materials and Methods

A pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was adopted. Fifty emergency physicians were recruited through purposive sampling from selected tertiary care hospitals. Baseline assessments were conducted using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). Participants underwent an eight-week structured mindfulness meditation program consisting of guided breathing exercises, body-scan meditation, mindful awareness, and loving-kindness meditation. Sessions were conducted five days per week for 30 minutes. Post-intervention assessments were completed immediately after the intervention. Descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and Pearson correlation analysis were used for data analysis.

Results

The mean anxiety score decreased from 12.18 ± 3.42 to 6.64 ± 2.81 (p < 0.001). Depression scores improved from 13.06 ± 3.76 to 7.18 ± 3.04 (p < 0.001). Burnout scores also showed significant reductions in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, with a corresponding increase in personal accomplishment (p < 0.001). The intervention demonstrated statistically significant improvements across all outcome variables.

Conclusion

Mindfulness meditation significantly reduced anxiety, depression, and burnout among emergency physicians. Incorporating structured mindfulness training into hospital wellness initiatives may contribute to improved physician mental health, enhanced resilience, and better quality of patient care.