Positive Health Online

Abstract

KORKMAZ and COLLEAGUES,  (1)Department of Genomic Sciences and Molecular Biotechnology, Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.; (2)Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Turkey. (3)Division of Mental Health Services, Department of Research and Development, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway. (4)University of Health Sciences, Ataturk Chest Diseases Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey; (5)American Hospital and Koç University Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; (6)Manisa Dialysis Center, Manisa, Turkey. (7)Bati Medical Center, Didim, Aydin, Turkey. (8)School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey (9)Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. (10)Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. (11)Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. (12)Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey. (13)Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.(14)Institute for Cancer Genetics and Informatics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway set out to determine whether Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY)can reduce psychological distress and improve wellness in physicians.

Background

Physicians are exposed to high stress and strain that results in burnout, which affects them, their families, their patients, and the entire health care system; thus, there is an urgent need to develop methods to increase the resiliency of physicians. Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) is a comprehensive yoga breathing and meditation-based program that is a potential approach to mitigate physician burnout. Objective: conducted a randomized clinical trial to assess whether SKY can reduce psychological distress and improve wellness in physicians.

Methodology

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized clinical trial assessed the potential efficacy of SKY compared with a stress management education (SME) training as control. This study was conducted online from November 11, 2021, to March 14, 2022, and included physicians from Turkey, Germany, and Dubai. Both the SKY and the SME control groups received 1.5 hours of training for 3 consecutive days via a group video conference call. Participants were physicians willing to do some form of relaxation exercise every day for 2 months. Exclusion criteria included presence of major illness and maintaining a regular mind-body program practice. Statistical analysis took place from March to November 2023. Interventions: Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 into 2 groups-the SKY group or the SME (control) group-using a computer algorithm. After the 3-day instruction period, the participants in the SKY group practised for approximately 30 minutes per day on their own and participated in a weekly 1-hour, group-based online follow-up practice. After the 3-day instruction period, participants in the SME group reviewed and applied the notes from stress management education training at their initiative and had a weekly 1-hour group-based online follow-up session. Main Outcomes And Measures: The primary outcomes were stress and depression   (measured by the 42-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale [DASS-42]) and   insomnia measured by the Regensburg Insomnia Scale (RIS) with primary end point   at 8 weeks. Secondary outcomes included anxiety (DASS-42); optimism (Life   Orientation Test-Revised [LOT-R]); professional fulfilment, work exhaustion, interpersonal disengagement, and overall burnout (Professional Fulfilment Index   [PFI]); and self-reported professional errors (Self-Reported Professional Error   Questionnaire).

Results

This study included 129 participants (SME, 63 participants [48.9%];   SKY, 66 participants [51.1%]; 115 females [89.2%]; 14 males [10.8%]; mean [SD]   age, 46.2 [9.0] years). Compared with the SME control group, participants in the   SKY group had significantly decreased stress on the DASS-42 at post training   (difference, -6.8 points; 95% CI, -9.6 to -4.1 points; P = .006) and at   postintervention (difference, -6.0 points; 95% CI, -8.8 to -3.3 points;   P = .03), significantly decreased depression at post training (difference, -5.7   points; 95% CI, -8.6 to -2.8 points; P < .001) and postintervention (difference, -5.4 points; 95% CI, -8.3 to -2.5 points; P < .001), and significantly decreased anxiety at postintervention. In addition, there was a significant decrease in   insomnia from baseline to postintervention in the SKY group (difference, -0.3  points; 95% CI, -2.3 to 1.7 points; P = .01). The SKY group also showed   significantly increased professional fulfilment as well as significant  decreases in work exhaustion, interpersonal disengagement, and burnout. There   was no effect on self-reported medical errors.

Conclusion

In this randomized clinical trial, physicians who regularly practiced SKY throughout a 2-month period experienced improvements in wellness and decreased burnout. These data suggest that SKY may be an effective, practical, and safe strategy to increase wellness and mitigate burnout in physicians. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05956470. Conflict of interest statement: Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

References

Korkmaz A(1)(2), Bernhardsen GP(3), Cirit B(4), Koprucu Suzer G(5), Kayan H(6), Biçmen H(7), Tahra M(8), Suner A(9), Lehto SM(3)(10)(11), Sag D(1)(2)(12), Saatcioglu F(13)(14). Sudarshan Kriya Yoga Breathing and a Meditation Program for Burnout Among Physicians: A Randomized Clinical Trial.  JAMA Netw Open.;7(1):e2353978.  Jan 2 2024. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.53978

Comment

The above research demonstrated that Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) may be an effective, practical, and safe strategy to increase wellness and mitigate burnout in physicians