Can You Tap the Patient at Home? Managing Liver Failure on Hospice (FR425)

Abstract

Objectives 1. Review major findings regarding physiological effects and clinical outcomes associated with mindfulness and compassion meditation. 2. Guide participants through three brief mediation practices of benefit to both caregivers and patients. 3. Discuss practical applications of brief meditation practices for care of self and patients. Meditation has historically been considered a spiritual practice and is foundational to certain caregiving traditions. More than three decades of research have shed light on the physiological effects and clinical benefits of meditation; these findings have important implications for providers of palliative care and their patients. Much of that research has examined mindfulness-based stress reduction and related mindfulness-based healthcare interventions. Investigators have also explored the effects of compassion meditation and other practices. Studies have demonstrated an association with biological changes in brain structure and function (Davidson, Kabat-Zinn et al., 2003; Lutz, Brefczynski-Lewis et al., 2008; Desbordes, Negi, Pace, et al., 2012) as well as positive effects on biological markers implicated in multiple disease mechanisms (Greeson, 2009). Clinical outcomes include reduced anxiety, improved mood, less fatigue, and fewer somatic symptoms (De Vibe, Bjorndal, et al., 2012; Grossman, Niemann et al., 2004; Marchland 2012). Research has been conducted among general medical patients and also among patients with cancer (Ledesma, Kumano, 2008), including patients on a bone marrow transplantation unit (Bauer-Wu 2008); these findings have important implications for patients at the endoflife (Carlson, Halifax, 2011). Studies examining the health impact of mindfulness on physicians and nurses have shown significant reduction in indicators of professional burnout. (Krasner, Epstein, Beckman, et al., 2009; Cohen-Katz, Wiley, 2005) Meditation involves the self-regulation of attention and emotion and the cultivation of present-moment awareness. Mindfulness and compassion meditations share a common tradition of practices intended to cultivate calm, kindness, caring, and happiness. This session will present a conceptual foundation of mindfulness and compassion practice and review highlights of research findings. Participants will be guided through three brief meditations that are appropriate for self-care and for the care of patients: body scan, 3-minute breathing space (Segal, Williams, et al., 2013), and compassion practice. Information for ongoing learning will be provided.