The effects of a mindful practice training for the staff of a new children’s hospital in Hong Kong for the cultivation of resilience and compassion

Abstract

Objective Within a stressful work environment, self-care among the medical staff is usually put in a lower priority as a culture, putting them at risk of burnout. In this study, a brief hospital-based mindfulness training program was introduced to a newly established public children’s hospital in Hong Kong to examine the impact on the psychological well-being for the staff. The teaching and the practice offered in the training focused on managing stress and cultivating resilience through hands-on mindfulness practices to handle different mind-body conditions. Methods The study was conducted between Jul 2018 and Dec 2019. A brief mindfulness training (two weekly 2-hour sessions) was introduced to the staff of a new children’s hospital. A self-report questionnaire was administered before and after the training session to measure changes in perceived stress and self-efficacy, general health as well as level of self-compassion. Results Improvement in psychological well-being was found among the participants after the training. A significant decrease in General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) scores (t(115)=-3.22, p=.002), indicating an improvement in psychological state. A marginally significant increase was found in the Self-Compassion (t(111)=1.95, p =.054) , particularly a highly significant decrease in over-identification (t(120)=-4.16, p<.001). There was a significant decrease in General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) scores (t(119)=3.08, p=.003), which indicates an increase in perceived self-efficacy, particularly a decrease self-defeating thoughts (t(118)=-2.77, p=.006) Discussion Apart from alleviating perceived stress, a brief mindfulness training was effective to enhance the general health and self-efficacy, as well as develop self-compassion among the participants. This study demonstrated the possibility of introducing mindfulness practice in the busy work environment during a stressful launch phase of a new public hospital.