Surgeons who meditate prior to arthroscopic simulation perform better
This study looked at the use of a mindfulness meditation app would improve residents’ performance during a simulation of arthroscopic surgery – knee and shoulder surgery requiring small incisions and pencil-thin lens and lighting systems. Residents were randomly assigned to one of three research arms – those who were meditation-trained and meditated right before surgery, those who were meditation-trained and did not mediate right before surgery, and those who were not meditation trained – and performed the same simulation on the first day and eleven days later to compare the effects of the meditation training. Preliminary results from this study indicate that mindfulness meditation helps residents reduce stress levels, perform better on surgical simulations, and show less skill deterioration, when compared to residents without meditation training.
References:
Li, W., Meng, X., Zhang, K.-J., Yang, Z., Feng, Z., Tong, K., & Tian, J. (2022). Meditation Using a Mobile App Improves Surgery Trainee Performance: A Simulation-Based Randomized Controlled Trial. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery.
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0749806322005813
