The Ripple Effect: A Call to Design Online Curriculum for Mindfulness in Interprofessional Education

Evidence shows that one in two healthcare professionals burnout during their career. Mindfulness in clinical care is promising as a skillset for self-care and improved wellness amongst healthcare professionals. A mindfulness practice may mitigate burnout, and could possibly improve patient care, by enabling healthcare professionals to reduce stress and find more joy in work.

As burnout affects all healthcare professionals, the University of Colorado Center for Interprofessional Practice & Education (CIPE) is determined to support wellness for all students on the Anschutz Medical Campus through its programming. A co-curricular activity was recently designed to engage students in learning about mindfulness in clinical care, making use of a well-respected resource from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Open School. The IHI Open School offers educational resources in the form of multimedia online courses to improve the quality and safety of healthcare. One IHI Open School course, “Incorporating Mindfulness into Clinical Practice,” addresses the benefits and impact of mindfulness on improving patient care and instilling joy in the workplace.

Consider the ripple effect that can be created by a single person practicing mindfulness that cultivates compassionate and non-judgmental interactions with patients and colleagues. Medical errors and interpersonal interactions may improve with the ability to stay mindfully present and aware. Modeling such behaviors within interprofessional practice and clinical education is strongly encouraged. This presentation calls for healthcare programs to develop educational opportunities that serve this need and meet this demand.

Participants should be prepared to experience simple mindfulness techniques that inspire innovation and design thinking that can be replicated for interprofessional education. The use of Self Determination Theory pedagogy that meets the three psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness for intrinsic motivation will be reviewed as it was successfully incorporated with the IHI Open School resource promoting mindfulness in clinical care.