The impact on paramedics learning mindfulness practices online

Abstract

With increasing call volumes, increasing medical scope of practice, and more technologically advanced tools, paramedics are under increasing stress to perform, but the resources to support performance through education are limited. Mindfulness is a practice with the potential to reduce stress, increase attention, increase compassion, and be taught online to positively impact paramedic performance. This case study utilized mixed methods to examine the impact of teaching mindfulness online to front-line working paramedics. Actively working front-line paramedic participants who completed the study reported benefits to their personal lives and potential for benefits to patient care. The results also indicated that an online 8-week MBSR course can provide participant paramedics with tools they were able to use to increase self-awareness, reduce stress, and increase situation awareness, thereby potentially improving the performance of the paramedic as a clinician. Key words: paramedic, mindfulness, stress, performance, online, education