PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Julie Luzarraga
AU  - Christopher Wichman
AU  - Rachel Shirk
AU  - Cheryl Jarosz
AU  - Meaghann S Weaver
TI  - Using a Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Support the Resiliency of In-Patient Pediatric Respiratory Therapists
AID  - 10.4187/respcare.06483
DP  - 2019 May 01
TA  - Respiratory Care
PG  - 550--554
VI  - 64
IP  - 5
4099  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/64/5/550.short
4100  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/64/5/550.full
AB  - BACKGROUND: Respiratory therapists (RTs) are care providers in highly stressful work environments with limited time and resources for self-care. Mindfulness-based interventions teach non-reactive awareness to the present situation or the ability to respond versus react in the moment, to shift away from a physical and emotional stress response.METHODS: Mindfulness-based group learning was offered during 2 regularly scheduled RT staff meetings for ∼30 min each session. Each meeting began and concluded with a distress assessment and with counting and recording respirations for 30 s.RESULTS: This quality-improvement project revealed mindfulness-based interventions to be feasible and acceptable. Mindfulness intervention reduced RT team members' physical and emotional stress related symptoms (as measured by a 1-point median decrease in the self-administered distress assessment, with P = .001 in session 1) and increased sense of calm (as measured by participant breathing rate decrease by mean of two-points P = .001 in session 1 and session 2).CONCLUSIONS: Mindfulness-based interventions were noted to be feasible and acceptable additions to RT staff meetings. These interventions have the potential to introduce breathing practices and mini mindfulness techniques.