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Mindfulness to Practice Patient-Centered Care
- 1. Mindfulness to Practice Patient-Centered Care Abhi Dalal, B.A. Tzu Chi Mobile Clinic Volunteer ad4839@berkeley.edu Presented at Tzu Chi Mobile Clinic’s Volunteer Training on February 9th, 2020
- 2. Transforming Difficult Patient Encounters
- 3. Building Strong Patient Relationships
- 4. Mindfulness maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens
- 5. Benefits of Mindfulness • Reduces Stress • Improves Attention • Cultivates Self-Awareness • Cultivates Emotional Regulation • Improves Relationships • Helpful Self-Care Tool
- 6. Mindfulness and Health Research • In one study,1 patients who learned mindfulness decreased their pre- hypertension and more so than those that learned progressive muscle relaxation. • In a 2016 study,2 a mindfulness training group of Alzheimer’s patients improved much more significantly on cognitive scores than those engaged in cognitive stimulation therapy, relaxation training, or no treatment. • In several studies,3 mindfulness increases immune system activity positively in HIV and breast cancer patients.
- 7. Mindfulness and Emotional/Cognitive Functioning • A key impact of mindfulness is on stress reduction which is tied to immune system, neurological, … and cardiovascular functioning. • Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness, strengthening one’s cognitive abilities.1
- 8. Mindfulness • The basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
- 9. Let’s Try It
- 10. Practicing Mindfulness • This practice is simple. • Establish a period of time, from 2 minutes to 30 minutes at a regular time (mornings!). • Pick a vehicle: sitting, lying, walking, or yoga. • Whatever your vehicle is: bring your attention to the present moment experience. Become aware of what arises like your breath, the feeling of your body or all other sensations. • If you find benefit, continue practicing. • Since my physician first introduced me to it, I’ve been able to cure my Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Mindfulness has also allowed to gather sensitive information from patients when bonding with them and I discussed their health disparities in Tzu Chi’s recent article “Meaningful Care”.
- 11. Mindfulness for Health Care Workers • Regular practice strengthens one’s ability to focus the activity of attending to patient needs and strengthens one’s self-awareness and empathy. • We can develop inner resources and attention to find joy and connect with patients.
- 12. Resources • I am happy to answer questions so please email me at ad4839@Berkeley.edu • There are apps like Insight Timer and Headspace on your phones. • You can attend local yoga classes and meditation groups and please let me know if you want my thoughts. • I highly recommend the book Full Catastrophe Living which is by the father of mindfulness in the United States, Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Editor's Notes
- Recently, we visited Pacific Clinics in Pasadena. Pacific Clinics is a behavioral health clinic for low-income patients. Our patients were from low socioeconomic conditions and had mental illnesses. Presumably, they were very different from all of us in this room. At the end of the day, we had an older patient from a different subculture, African-American. She was becoming increasingly disruptive. No one was able to calm her down, including her social worker. Often, these situations are difficult on us as well. At the end of the day, we may be tired from working with diverse patients and being on our feet. We may still have many tasks ahead of us that need our attention. When we are faced with difficult situations and people, our response often is to react non-productively with frustration, dissatisfaction, and resentment. Mindfulness helps through this process to best serve our patients. Mindfulness is about bringing one’s awareness to the present moment and this strengthens one’s ability to not become overly reactive nor overwhelmed by whatever is going on. With the disruptive patient, I was able to calm her down and ensure that she was satisfied. When I saw her becoming more and more flustered, I stepped back and became aware of the range of my reactions. I had to finish the eye pressure test for another patient and was tired. Once I was self-aware, I started to become aware about the patient and what she was going through. I realized that she was alone and was increasingly worried about her drive back home, and despite how many times she repeated it, people were increasingly ignoring her. I acknowledged her suffering, put her at ease, and supported her to greater health. Mindfulness not only increases one’s self-awareness but also increases one’s empathy. It helps us deal with people from different walks of life. Dr. Lina Lin tells me that Tzu Chi’s founder encourages to volunteer and contribute so we learn how to be a better person and be a team member along the way. Mindfulness greatly enhances our abilities to fulfill Master Cheng Yen’s vision for each of us.
- Through the act of becoming in touch with one’s daily experience, as the Buddha taught, one begins to understand the nature of suffering and human existence. This allows one to connect more deeply with patients, for example, even for a few moments. We are able to understand the relationship between ourselves and our circumstances, and this helps understand other’s as well. In short, we become better at building relationships with diverse individuals.
- New field – only 3,000 studies about its benefits. 1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24127622 2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26639952 3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18678242
- 1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18678242
- Lead group through mindfulness meditation.