Mindfulness training in medical education as a means to improve resilience, empathy, and mental health in the medical profession.
World journal of psychiatry April 19, 2024 Edison Iglesias de Oliveira Vidal, Luiz Fernando Alvarenga Ribeiro, Marco Antonio De Carvalho-Filho et al. 6 citations
High rates of depression, burnout, and suicide risk among medical students, residents, and physicians compared to other careers indicate a mental health crisis in the profession. This crisis and inadequate interpersonal skill acquisition during medical education stem from the interaction between a challenging environment and individuals' mental capital. Mindfulness-based practices help develop key components of mental capital such as resilience, flexibility, and learning skills, and enhance empathy, compassion, self-awareness, conflict resolution, and relational abilities. Evidence supporting mindfulness-based interventions is growing, and many medical schools have integrated mindfulness into curricula. While not a panacea, there is an opportunity to spread and study mindfulness programs to address longstanding shortcomings in medical education and health systems.