Mindfulness-based programme for residents: study protocol of a randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION: Residency is a stressful phase associated with high prevalence of mental distress. Besides impaired personal health, mental distress in residents has an impact on the quality of patient care and produces economic costs. Therefore, there is demand for interventions that improve resident physicians’ mental health. The aim of the present study is to examine the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention that has been tailored to residents’ needs. Specifically, mindfulness has been supplemented by a focus on the concept of Muße. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study applies a randomised controlled multimethod design. Residents assigned to the intervention group will participate in an 8-week mindfulness course followed by a 4-month maintenance phase, whereas residents assigned to the control group will read text-based information about mindfulness on a weekly basis for the duration of 8 weeks. The intervention is focussed on a transfer of learnt techniques into the daily routine and is targeted to promote residents’ self-care as well as on building empathic relationships. Participants will be assessed before, directly after the intervention, after the maintenance phase as well as at follow-up 6 months after the intervention group completes the intervention. Assessments will consist of self-report measures, physiological data, qualitative interviews, third-party reports as well as implicit and projective measures and will focus on both psychopathology and salutogenesis. The primary outcome will be burnout. Data will be analysed using linear mixed modelling. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and is funded by the German Research Foundation as part of the interdisciplinary Collaborative Research Center ‘SFB Muße 1015’. The results of this study will be published in scientific journals and disseminated through the study’s website, and conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00014015.