AUTHOR=Rodriguez-Vega Beatriz , Palao Ángela , Muñoz-Sanjose Ainoa , Torrijos Marta , Aguirre Pablo , Fernández Arancha , Amador Blanca , Rocamora Cristina , Blanco Laura , Marti-Esquitino Jesús , Ortiz-Villalobos Aránzazu , Alonso-Sañudo Mónica , Cebolla Susana , Curto Javier , Villanueva Rosa , de-la-Iglesia María-Jesús , Carracedo Diego , Casado Carlos , Vidal Emma , Trigo Daniel , Iglesias Noelia , Cabañas Diana , Mellado Loreto , García Daniel , Fernández-Encinas Consuelo , Navarro Rubén , Mediavilla Roberto , Vidal-Villegas María-Paz , Bravo-Ortiz María-Fe , Bayón Carmen 

TITLE=Implementation of a Mindfulness-Based Crisis Intervention for Frontline Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Outbreak in a Public General Hospital in Madrid, Spain

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.562578

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2020.562578

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Introduction: The COVID-19 outbreak is having an impact on the well-being of healthcare workers. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown effectiveness in reducing stress and fostering resilience and recovery in healthcare workers.  There are no studies examining the feasibility of brief mindfulness-based interventions during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Materials and methods: This study is a quasiexperimental research with a post intervention assessment. We describe an on-site brief mindfulness intervention and evaluate its feasibility, safety and helpfulness. 
Results: 1,000 out of 7,000 (14%) healthcare workers from La Paz University Hospital in Madrid (Spain) participated in at least one session. 150 out of 1,000 (15%) participants filled out a self-report questionnaire evaluating the helpfulness of the intervention for on-site stress reduction. 92 subjects (61%) participated in more than one session. Most of the participants were women (80%) with a mean age of 38.6 years. Almost half of the sample were nurses (46%). Sessions were perceived as being helpful with a mean rating of 8.4 on a scale from 0 to 10. Only 3 people (2%) reported a minor adverse effect (increased anxiety or dizziness).
Discussion: Our data supports the feasibility, safety and helpfulness of an on-site, brief mindfulness-based intervention designed to reduce stress for frontline health workers during a crisis. There is a need to continue testing this type of interventions, and to integrate emotion regulation strategies as an essential part of health workers’ general training.