Reducing stress, strengthening resilience and self-care in medical students through Mind-Body Medicine (MBM).

Stress-related illnesses are increasing among medical students and doctors in Germany and internationally. Mind-Body Medicine (MBM) courses are being offered at several German medical faculties, including Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the universities of Magdeburg, Witten-Herdecke, Essen, and Ulm. Evaluations of student courses at Charité and Magdeburg showed a reduction in perceived stress and increases in self-efficacy, mindfulness, self-reflection, and empathy among 117 Charité students, and improvements in mindfulness and self-compassion among 69 Magdeburg students. In qualitative focus groups, Charité students reported better self-regulation of stressful experiences, personal growth, and new insights into integrative medicine. Further implementation and networked evaluation of MBM courses across German-speaking universities is recommended.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Stress-related illnesses are on the rise among medical students and doctors in Germany and internationally. Mind-Body Medicine (MBM) methods are increasingly being used to reduce stress. MBM courses are now being offered to students at medical faculties in Germany, including Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and e.g. at the universities of Magdeburg, Witten-Herdecke, Essen and Ulm. The courses offered in Berlin and Magdeburg are presented as examples in this article. In addition, the Charité course was also conducted with employees (doctors and nurses) of a Charité intensive care unit. The student courses at both medical universities were evaluated at the same time. The results of the analyses showed a reduction in perceived stress and an increase in self-efficacy, mindfulness, self-reflection and empathy in 117 Charité students, and an improvement in mindfulness (Freiburg mindfulness inventory (FFA)) and self-compassion (Self Compassion Scale - German Version (SCS-D)) in 69 students from Magdeburg. In the qualitative focus groups, the students at Charité also reported better abilities to self-regulate stressful experiences, personal growth and new insights into integrative medicine. The further implementation of MBM courses at German-speaking medical universities appears to make sense. In addition, MBM courses should be networked across different locations in order to coordinate their content and carry out a joint evaluation using standardised measurement instruments on a larger group of participants. In addition, the implementation of randomised controlled studies to investigate the effectiveness of MBM courses would be beneficial.