Online Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Healthcare Professionals: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: Health care professionals work in challenging environments with extended working hours and excessive workloads to provide high-quality care. However, they hardly get the time to care for themselves. Online mindfulness-based interventions—which are not restricted by time or location—can be a powerful strategy to help health care professionals. Objectives: This scoping review aims to explore the current evidence about online mindfulness-based interventions for health care professionals. Design: A scoping review was conducted. Methods: A literature search was conducted to retrieve articles published between October 2016 and March 2023 in seven databases, including backward and forward citation tracking from the included articles. Among 1,278 articles retrieved, 33 met the criteria for review. Results: Two-thirds of the studies utilized commercialized mindfulness programs ( n = 22). Duration of the mindfulness interventions varied from 1 week to 4 months, and half of the studies used audio-guided programs. Online mindfulness-based intervention studies were targeted to reduce burnout ( n = 26), and the majority reported reduction in burnout ( n = 18). Conclusion: Most studies used individual audio-guided programs that warrant the use of diverse delivery methods such as video media, simulation, and virtual reality for interactions in the future. Although the literature has accumulated evidence for commercialized online mindfulness-based interventions, further studies are needed to develop and test tailored interventions for health care professionals.