Increasing Primary Healthcare Providers’ Knowledge About Meditation as a Treatment for Anxiety

Abstract

Purpose: An assessment of primary healthcare providers’ knowledge of the benefits ofimplementing meditation as a treatment for anxiety and stress in the adult population. Background: Anxiety and other mental health disorders affect millions of people all around the world. Their clinical treatments including pharmaceuticals have been highly stigmatized and can often be unsustainable due to cost and other socioeconomic factors. Meditation and other forms of mindfulness-based therapy can be cost-effective alternatives to traditional mental health support and beneficial to treat anxiety. There is a mental health crisis in the United States (US), with a growing number of adults that are struggling with some type of mental illness. Numerous studies have shown the connection between increased anxiety and stress on perpetuating and worsening chronic conditions, such as chronic pain, heart disease, and neurologic conditions. Now more than ever, patients are having difficulties obtaining medical care, especially specialty care such as psychiatry and mental health, when they need it for a variety of reasons. With nearly one-fourth of the population experiencing symptoms of anxiety and having unmet mental health needs, this presents a unique opportunity for primary care providers to screen and assess for symptoms of anxiety and then implement and educate patients on patient-centered and empowering therapies, such as meditation. Methods: This provider education quality improvement project will employ a pre- and post- survey quantitative design. Providers will participate in a 15-minute onsite in-person education session including a PowerPoint presentation and an example of a free 4-minute guided meditation. The session will offer guidance on initiating a conversation about implementing meditation as an anti-anxiety intervention. Prior to and immediately following the educational session, providers will complete a 3-question survey to assess their willingness and knowledge of the benefits of implementing meditation as a treatment for anxiety and stress in the adult population. Results: The overall results revealed a positive change in provider intent to recommend meditation to patients as a treatment for stress and anxiety. Conclusions: This quality improvement project used a pretest/posttest design that resulted in promising findings that support providing meditation education to primary care providers. Despite the limitations of the survey, important information was gathered overall about the potential effect that evidenced-based education can have on provider knowledge and intent to recommend meditation for anxiety.