(100) Evaluating the Effects of a Mindfulness Mobile Application on Student Pharmacists’ Stress, Burnout,and Mindfulness

Objective : Pharmacists report high levels of burnout. Mindfulness approaches have been demonstrated to positively affect the general population and other healthcare professions. However, limited studies have been performed to evaluate mindfulness approaches in student pharmacists. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the daily use of a mindfulness mobile application in improving student pharmacists’ perceived stress, burnout, and mindfulness.

Methods: This study was a randomized, longitudinal, controlled trial. The intervention group was asked to meditate using the mindfulness application Headspace daily for at least six weeks. The control group was asked to abstain from using the application for the entire study. Stress, burnout, and mindfulness were assessed using validated survey instruments at baseline, six weeks, and 10 weeks. A secondary outcome was to determine the persistence of application usage after the intervention period.

Results: Fifty-six participants completed the study. The intervention group reported significantly (p < 0.05) lower scores on stress and burnout at six weeks compared to the control group. The intervention group also reported significantly higher scores on mindfulness. The differences in stress, burnout, and mindfulness persisted at follow-up. The mean percentage of students in the intervention group who used the application daily was 90% over the intervention period and 62% over the follow-up period.

Conclusions: The daily use of a mindfulness mobile application significantly improved student pharmacists’ stress, burnout, and mindfulness. Most participants continued to use the application for four weeks after the end of the intervention. Positive effects on stress and mindfulness persisted even with decreased application usage.