Feasibility of Integrating MEditatioN inTO heaRt Disease (the MENTOR Study): A Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial.
The Journal of cardiovascular nursing
Source: PubMed
Summary
Comorbid depression and anxiety affect 25% of patients in cardiac rehabilitation, leading to worse health outcomes. In a trial with 31 participants, integrating a 6-week meditation program into standard care showed promising results. An impressive 83% of participants completed an average of over three group sessions and five self-guided sessions. Additionally, the meditation group attended more rehabilitation sessions (12 vs. 9). Patients and healthcare professionals found the meditation intervention both feasible and acceptable, suggesting it may enhance adherence to exercise-based rehabilitation programs.
Abstract
Comorbid depression and/or anxiety symptoms occur in 25% of patients attending cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs and are associated with poorer prognosis. There is a need to evaluate psychological interventions, including meditation, that have potential to improve psychological health in CR programs. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of integrating a meditation intervention into an existing Australian CR program for the reduction of depression and anxiety symptoms. This was a mixed-methods feasibility randomized controlled trial. Thirty-one patients with CVD and, at a minimum, mild depression and/or anxiety symptoms were randomized to meditation and standard CR or to standard CR alone. A 16-minute guided group meditation was delivered face-to-face once a week for 6 weeks, with daily self-guided meditation practice between sessions. Feasibility outcomes included screening, recruitment, and retention. Semistructured interviews of patients' (n = 10) and health professionals' (n = 18) perspectives of intervention participation and delivery were undertaken to assess acceptability. Between-group differences in depression, anxiety, stress, self-efficacy for mindfulness, and health status at 6 and 12 weeks were also assessed. Meditation was considered feasible, with 83% (12/15) of the intervention group completing an average of 3.13 (SD, 2.56) out of 6 group meditation sessions and 5.28 (SD, 8.50) self-guided sessions. Meditation was considered acceptable by patients, clinicians, and health managers. Between-group differences in the number of CR sessions completed favored the intervention group in per-protocol analyses (intervention group vs control group, 12 vs 9 sessions; P = .014), which suggests that meditation may be useful to improve patients' adherence to exercise-based CR program.