The Impact of Mindfulness Interventions on the Well-Being of Intensive Care, Emergency Department and Anaesthesia Staff: A Systematic Review.

Critical care staff experience high rates of burnout and emotional fatigue due to intense work environments. A systematic review of thirty studies found that meditation-based interventions, especially those combining in-person and app-guided formats, most consistently improved well-being and reduced stress and burnout among doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals in ICUs, EDs, CCUs, and perioperative units. Yoga and aromatherapy also showed benefits, but their use was often limited by space and schedule constraints. Qualitative findings indicated improved emotional regulation and workplace satisfaction, though barriers like work guilt and time constraints remained. The review suggests flexible, scalable mindfulness-based interventions may help mitigate burnout and support workforce sustainability.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Critical care staff face unique stressors, including high patient acuity and intense work environments, leading to high rates of burnout and emotional fatigue. While mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are increasingly recognised for reducing stress among healthcare workers, no prior review has specifically examined their impact within critical care settings. To evaluate the effectiveness of individual and workplace-delivered MBIs on improving well-being and reducing stress and burnout among critical care staff. This systematic review was conducted starting with a literature search using MeSH terms across EBSCOhost platforms. Studies involving doctors, nurses and allied health professionals working in ICUs, EDs, CCUs and perioperative units were assessed. Clinical and non-clinical trials were included if they reported outcome data on burnout, stress, job satisfaction or overall well-being. Studies were assessed for bias using validated tools (RoB2, ROBINS-I, JMI, MMAT). The thirty studies included in this review indicate meditation-based interventions, particularly those combining in-person and app-guided formats, showed the most consistent benefits across measured data. Yoga and aromatherapy demonstrated improvements, though feasibility was often limited by space and schedule. Studies employing multiple modalities often resulted in the strongest outcomes. Qualitative findings supported improved emotional regulation and workplace satisfaction but highlighted participation barriers such as work guilt and time constraints. This review highlights the potential of MBIs in enhancing resilience and well-being among critical care staff, offering a targeted synthesis not previously available. Implementing flexible, scalable MBIs in critical care environments may help mitigate burnout and support workforce sustainability. Future high-quality trials are needed to validate and optimise these interventions. This review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022323286).