Mindfulness in allied health and social care professional education: a scoping review

Abstract

Background: Investigations into the use of mindfulness with allied health and social care students, many of whom ultimately work in rehabilitation settings, is in the nascent stages and no systematic mapping of the literature has occurred. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify, summarise, and describe the current state of knowledge on mindfulness in allied health and social care professional education.

Methods: Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review methodology was adopted. Five data bases were searched; inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied; and 50 papers were identified for inclusion in the study.

Results: Quantitative studies depicted mindfulness interventions as contributing to: improved capacities for mindfulness; decreases in stress, anxiety, and depression; improvements in academic skills, quality of life and well-being, and empathy; improved physiological measures and emotional regulation; and mixed effects on burn-out. Qualitative studies highlighted: 1) mindfulness and self-care, 2) mindfulness within professional practice placements, 3) mindfulness in the classroom, and 4) the cultivation of mindful qualities.

Conclusions: The study has important implications for the education of future rehabilitation professions and suggests that learning about mindfulness may be useful in assisting students to: manage academic stress, anxiety, and depression; cultivate a physical and mental state of calm; be more present and empathetic with clients; and be more focused and attentive in professional practice settings.

Implications for rehabilitation

• Further exploration of mindfulness as a promising educational intervention for the professional preparation of future rehabilitation practitioners in allied health and social care fields is recommended.

• Education and research about mindfulness and its potential opportunities for students in terms of the mediation of stress, anxiety, depression, and the cultivation of empathy, academic skills, quality of life, and resilience are recommended.

• Education and research about mindfulness and its potential for the cultivation of beneficial qualities of mind such as attention, self-awareness, compassion, non-judgment, and acceptance are recommended.

• Education and research about mindfulness as a potential means to develop capacities related to self-care, professional practice placements, and classroom performance in students is recommended.

Keywords:

• Mindfulness
• stress management
• rehabilitation education
• health professional education
• allied health education
• quality of life

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported in part through an internal grant from Western University, and through a grant from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada [grant number 435-2018-1451].