The effects of loving-kindness meditation on doctors' communication anxiety, trust, calling and defensive medicine practice.
BioPsychoSocial medicine May 10, 2024 Hao Chen, Chao Liu, Kan Wu et al. 3 citations
Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) improved trust and sense of calling while reducing communication anxiety and defensive medicine practice among doctors. In a randomized trial with 94 doctors from a Chinese hospital, those who completed an 8-week LKM program showed significantly higher trust and calling, and significantly lower communication anxiety and defensive medicine practice, compared to a waitlist control group. The control group showed no changes. The findings suggest LKM may help reduce defensive medicine practice by fostering positive psychological states.