JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Hospital professionals face mental health challenges caused by the high demands of their work, including heavy workloads and exposure to human suffering. Mindfulness Meditation (MM) is a non-pharmacological practice with promising evidence supporting its effectiveness in promoting mental health and well-being across various hospital professionals. Objectives: The aims of this pilot study are to implement and evaluate, at both the individual and collective levels, the effects of a workplace-based mindfulness intervention developed participatively for hospital professionals in a French university hospital, using the Intervention Mapping protocol for health program planning. The feasibility of the implementation of the intervention, the influence of the work environment and the mechanisms through which it produces its effects are also assessed.

Methods:

This prospective interventional study focuses on 8 hospital departments, with 2 parallel cluster-randomized groups. Inclusion and the MM information meeting are proposed to entire departments, followed by a randomization (intervention or control group). Then, a MM test session is proposed before committing to the MM program (10 one-hour sessions) for a maximum of 15 professionals per department (intervention group). A convergent mixed-methods design with concomitant quantitative and qualitative data collection is used, before integration of findings. Quantitative evaluation is based on a comparison of “before-after” measurements, and compared with control departments. The primary outcome is the evolution of psychological flourishing at work which is measured by the adapted and validated French-language scale Psychological Flourishing At Work (EEPMT-8), to which the Professional Life Satisfaction Scale (ÉSVP-5) is added to form a new 13-items scale of Psychological Flourishing At Work (EEPMT-13). Realist evaluation by qualitative methods explores the influence of contexts on the implementation (barrier and facilitators), and the links between context, mechanisms, and effects of MM. The study has been approved by a French ethics committee.

Results:

This study was conducted from May 2024 to June 30, 2025. A total of 108 participants were enrolled. Results are expected to be published in 2026. Discussion: The strengths of this pilot study are its participative methods involving stakeholders (professionals and management) in a co-construction, tailored implementation, evaluation of the intervention with mixed-methods, and the characterization of both individual and organizational levels. Challenges include the implementation of a workplace-based mindfulness intervention during a period of hospital professionals shortage, the use of an innovative primary endpoint, and methodological pluralism in the evaluation. Conclusion: Participative approaches are essential for the implementation and evaluation of a complex mindfulness-based intervention in the workplace.