Impact of heartfulness meditation practice compared to the gratitude practices on wellbeing and work engagement among healthcare professionals: Randomized trial.
PloS one January 1, 2024 Kunal Desai, Patricia O'Malley, Emily Van Culin
A randomized trial compared Heartfulness meditation to gratitude practice among 83 healthcare providers (50% nurses, 37% allied professionals, 13% physicians) across the US. After six weeks, the Heartfulness group showed significant improvement in burnout and secondary traumatic stress, and increased vigor at work, while the gratitude group did not. Compassion satisfaction trended higher with Heartfulness but was not statistically significant. Qualitative reports indicated Heartfulness practitioners experienced better sleep and less reactivity to stress, while gratitude practitioners reported improved mood and positive family interactions. The authors conclude that Heartfulness meditation is associated with reduced burnout and greater work vigor, but larger trials are needed.