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High levels of stress and burnout, low help-seeking behaviour and unhealthy coping in healthcare professionals (HCPs), are a critical concern globally. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) reduce stress, are a healthy coping mechanism and have become increasingly popular among HCPs, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, HCPs' busy schedules require the intervention to be accessible, pragmatic, and context specific. Key to this goal is approaching mindfulness from a multicultural perspective, especially in diverse settings such as Africa. This paper aims to provide practical tips to ensure that the MBI offered is effective with multicultural HCPs during intense stress. Four tips each discuss the curriculum, implementation, and sustainability, respectively. The tips are elucidated by practical examples of regulating stress in healthcare settings and to offer a guideline to help structure future MBIs to be culturally and context appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) placed healthcare professionals (HCPs) at a higher risk for stress-related conditions. Implementing a brief online mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) was hypothesised to transform the HCPs' ability to cope with stress by enhancing their self-care. Aim: This study aimed to explore the impact of an online MBI on HCPs' self-care practices and determine if personality traits were a moderating variable. Setting: An online MBI was implemented for HCPs working in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Methods: A quantitative study design included a pre-assessment and post-assessment component, which allowed paired comparison and regression analysis to confer correlations. Data were collected via two validated instruments: the Mindful Self-Care scale-2018 and the Big Five Personality test. Results: Forty-nine HCPs participated in the study. Significant improvements were found in all the major self-care subscales post-intervention (p < 0.05). No significant associations were found between the personality traits and self-care except for neuroticism, which appeared to be an essential moderating variable. Conclusion: An online MBI significantly impacted health professionals' ability to care for themselves, despite their personality styles. Contribution: The impact of an online MBI on HCPs' self-care during the most intense time of stress and with a cohort of people known to be the most vulnerable to stress, namely those with neuroticism to date, has not been commented on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The disruptions of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have placed added stress on health care practitioners' (HCPs) mental health. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been reported to increase the awareness of burnout and promote self-care practices that enhance mental well-being., Aim: To gain insight into the use of mindfulness through the lens of PhotoVoice on how HCPs reflected on their stressors and sense of self whilst working as frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic., Setting: This study was conducted online with HCPs working in South Africa during the first wave of COVID-19., Method: A four-week MBI intervention was implemented using Zoom. An exploratory qualitative analysis was conducted using a PhotoVoice methodology. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to generate themes. Fifty-five HCPs consented to participate in this study., Results: The major themes identified were operating on autopilot, feeling a sense of overwhelm because of COVID-19, using faith to cope and being able to attain a sense of self-compassion by the end of the intervention., Conclusions: Using visual representations, HCPs were able to share the development of their reperceived lived experiences of increased self-compassion as they navigated the dilemmas and disruptions of the pandemic., Contribution: A brief online MBI was impactful enough to show a reappraisal of the stressors of COVID-19, such that HCPs felt calmer, more competent and more compassionate. PhotoVoice methodology is recommended for future studies and mindfulness courses. It facilitates a deeper understanding of the practice of imbuing mindfulness and its impact on stressors and the self., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article., (© 2022. The Authors.)

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health professionals were pushed to the front line of a global health crisis unprepared and resource constrained, which affected their mental well-being., Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a brief online mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on stress and burnout for health professionals training and working in South Africa during the COVID-19 crisis., Setting: The context of the study is the overburdened, under-resourced health care system in South Africa during a global pandemic., Methods: A mixed method framework was adopted for this study. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive analysis and the participants' qualitative experiences were interpreted using interpretative phenomenological analysis., Results: Forty-seven participants took part in this study. The study found a statistically significant ( p < 0.05) reduction in stress levels and emotional exhaustion as well as an increase in mindful awareness and feelings of personal accomplishment after the intervention. The participants' shared experiences were analysed in two parts. The pre-intervention analysis presented with central themes of loss of control and a sense of powerlessness because of COVID-19. The post-intervention analysis comprised themes of a sense of acquired control and empowerment through increased mindfulness., Conclusions: The study found that a brief online MBI can be associated with reduced levels of stress and burnout as well as an increased sense of control and empowerment, felt both personally and professionally, during a global crisis., Contribution: The impact of an online MBI for health care professionals amidst a pandemic has not been previously documented., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article., (© 2021. The Authors.)