Mindfulness Training Can Facilitate Chronic Disease Self Management
The treatment of many health problems can be improved when individuals are more involved in their own care. Mindfulness Training for Primary Care (MTPC) is an 8-week program for patients integrated into primary care practices based on MBSR and MBCT with mindfulness-oriented behavior change skills. It is offered in eight weekly two-hour sessions with a one day retreat plus daily meditation homework. Classes take place within the primary care practices.
Participants in this study were randomized to MTPC or limited mindfulness training (LMT). Participants randomized to MTPC, relative to LMT, had twice the likelihood of initiating a self-management action plan following the intervention. The authors concluded that an 8-week dose of mindfulness training delivered in a primary care setting is more effective than limited mindfulness training in facilitating chronic disease self-management behavior change among primary care patients.
Gawande R, et al. J Gen Intern Med (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-018-4739-5.
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