Mindfulness in Gastroenterology Training and Practice: A Personal Perspective

BACKGROUND: Work-related stress is becoming an increasingly recognised occupational hazard that can have detrimental effects on the health of both patient and doctor. The practice of gastroenterology not only includes the demands of clinics and in-patient work faced by other medical specialities but also the additional burden of complex, and often high-risk, endoscopic interventions. Mindfulness, a secular form of meditation, can relieve stress, even if only practiced for a few minutes a day. METHODS AND RESULTS: We present a personal perspective of the burnout experienced in stressful gastroenterology careers and the personal use of mindfulness in the daily routine to provide a source of calm when surrounded by many different pressures. We review some of the literature exploring the role of mindfulness in clinical practice with an emphasis on gastroenterology. While the practice of mindfulness is not designed to obviate immediacy and quick decisions in a rapidly changing clinical environment, it has been held widely useful to mitigate the stress involved in making those decisions. CONCLUSION: Practicing mindfulness, meditation and mindful living offers many advantages to gastroenterologists’ wellbeing as well improved patient care. We advocate its teaching to both gastroenterology trainees and consultants who are not familiar with the technique.