Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34665153›Full record

ArticleJMIR formative research2021

Impact of App-Delivered Mindfulness Meditation on Functional Connectivity, Mental Health, and Sleep Disturbances Among Physician Assistant Students: Randomized, Wait-list Controlled Pilot Study.

Jeremy L Smith, Jason W Allen, Carla I Haack, Kathryn L Wehrmeyer, Kayley G Alden, Maha B Lund, Jennifer S Mascaro

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR formative research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
3.8field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Jeremy L SmithDepartment of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0841-5297
Jason W AllenDepartment of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5274-1105
Carla I HaackDepartment of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2797-8634
Kathryn L WehrmeyerDepartment of Family and Preventative Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4113-8087
Kayley G AldenDepartment of Family and Preventative Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5322-7469
Maha B LundPhysician Assistant Program, Department of Family and Preventative Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6728-8270
Jennifer S MascaroDepartment of Family and Preventative Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6199-8455
Emory Healthcare · USEmory University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHealth care provider and trainee burnout results in substantial national and institutional costs and profound social effects. Identifying effective solutions and interventions to cultivate resilience among health care trainees is critical. Although less is known about the mental health needs of physician assistants (PAs) or PA students, accumulating research indicates that they experience similarly alarming rates of burnout, depression, and emotional exhaustion. Mobile app-delivered mindfulness meditation may be an effective part of salubrious programming to bolster long-term resilience and health among PA students.

objectiveThis study aims to examine the impact of app-delivered mindfulness meditation on self-reported mental health symptoms among PA students. A secondary aim is to investigate changes in brain connectivity to identify neurobiological changes related to changes in mental health symptoms.

methodsWe recruited PA students enrolled in their third semester of PA school and used a longitudinal, randomized, wait-list-controlled design. Participants randomized to the mindfulness group were provided 1-year subscriptions to the 10% Happier app, a consumer-based meditation app, and asked to practice every day for 8 weeks. Before randomization and again after completion of the 8-week program, all participants completed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging as well as self-report assessments of burnout, depression, anxiety, and sleep impairment. App use was acquired as a measure of mindfulness practice time.

resultsPA students randomized to the mindfulness group reported improvements in sleep impairment compared with those randomized to the wait-list control group (η

conclusionsThis pilot study is the first to examine app-based mindfulness for PA students' mental health and investigate the impact of mindfulness on PA students' brain function. These findings suggest that app-delivered mindfulness may be an effective tool to improve sleep dysfunction and that it may be an important part of the programming necessary to reduce the epidemic of suffering among health profession trainees.

Indexed as

connectivityfMRImeditationmindfulnessmobile phoneresting state

Identifiers

PMID34665153
PMCPMC8564666
OpenAlexW3184810883

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.