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Phone-Delivered Mindfulness Training for Patients with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: Results of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

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Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

The reduction in adrenergic activity and anxiety associated with meditation may be beneficial for patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

Purpose

This study aims to determine the feasibility of a phone-delivered mindfulness intervention in patients with defibrillators and to obtain preliminary indications of efficacy on mindfulness and anxiety.

Methods

Clinically stable outpatients were randomized to a mindfulness intervention (eight weekly individual phone sessions) or to a scripted follow-up phone call. We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Five Facets of Mindfulness to measure anxiety and mindfulness, and multivariate linear regression to estimate the intervention effect on pre-post-intervention changes in these variables.

Results

We enrolled 45 patients (23 mindfulness and 22 control; age, 43–83; 30 % women). Retention was 93 %; attendance was 94 %. Mindfulness (beta = 3.31; p = 0.04) and anxiety (beta = −1.15; p = 0.059) improved in the mindfulness group.

Conclusions

Mindfulness training can be effectively phone-delivered and may improve mindfulness and anxiety in cardiac defibrillator outpatients.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are immensely grateful to the patients who volunteered to participate in this study. The authors also wish to thank our mindfulness instructors: Judith Nielsen, Carole Legro, Zayda Vallejo, Joanne Rowley, and Elana Rosenbaum for their invaluable work. Dr. Salmoirago-Blotcher was supported by a grant from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM F32AT005048)

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, room S3-855, Worcester, MA, USA

    Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher M.D., Ph.D., Lawrence Rosenthal M.D., Ph.D., Mary Stanley M.D., Karen Rose N.P., Clifford Browning M.D. & Ira S. Ockene M.D.

  2. Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

    Sybil L. Crawford Ph.D. & James Carmody Ph.D.

  3. Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Gloria Yeh M.D., M.P.H.

Authors
  1. Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Sybil L. Crawford Ph.D.
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  3. James Carmody Ph.D.
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  4. Lawrence Rosenthal M.D., Ph.D.
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  6. Mary Stanley M.D.
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  8. Clifford Browning M.D.
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  9. Ira S. Ockene M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher M.D., Ph.D..

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Salmoirago-Blotcher, E., Crawford, S.L., Carmody, J. et al. Phone-Delivered Mindfulness Training for Patients with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: Results of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. ann. behav. med. 46, 243–250 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-013-9505-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-013-9505-7

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