PURPOSE: Distress is common among cancer patients. Regular meditation practice has the potential to mitigate this distress and improve quality of life for this population. Introducing meditation to cancer patients can be particularly challenging given the demands on patients' time from treatment and normal life events. This internal process improvement study examined the potential benefit of utilizing iPads during chemotherapy sessions to introduce meditation and reduce distress. METHODS: Patients undergoing chemotherapy infusion were offered iPads with various meditation videos and audio files during the session. Levels of distress were measured using the distress thermometer at the beginning of chemotherapy and at the conclusion of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Seventy-three patients accepted the meditation iPads during the chemotherapy session. Among those who accepted the iPads, average distress dropped 46% by the end of the session (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of iPads during chemotherapy is a potentially effective way to introduce meditation as a stress management tool for people with cancer.
PURPOSE: Distress is common among cancerpatients. Regular meditation practice has the potential to mitigate this distress and improve quality of life for this population. Introducing meditation to cancerpatients can be particularly challenging given the demands on patients' time from treatment and normal life events. This internal process improvement study examined the potential benefit of utilizing iPads during chemotherapy sessions to introduce meditation and reduce distress. METHODS:Patients undergoing chemotherapy infusion were offered iPads with various meditation videos and audio files during the session. Levels of distress were measured using the distress thermometer at the beginning of chemotherapy and at the conclusion of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Seventy-three patients accepted the meditation iPads during the chemotherapy session. Among those who accepted the iPads, average distress dropped 46% by the end of the session (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of iPads during chemotherapy is a potentially effective way to introduce meditation as a stress management tool for people with cancer.
Authors: Jeffery A Dusek; Hasan H Otu; Ann L Wohlhueter; Manoj Bhasin; Luiz F Zerbini; Marie G Joseph; Herbert Benson; Towia A Libermann Journal: PLoS One Date: 2008-07-02 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Ting Bao; Gary Deng; Lauren A DeMarzo; W Iris Zhi; Janice L DeRito; Victoria Blinder; Connie Chen; Qing S Li; Jamie Green; Eva Pendleton; Jun J Mao Journal: JMIR Cancer Date: 2019-11-07
Authors: Juraj Matis; Miroslav Svetlak; Alena Slezackova; Marek Svoboda; Rastislav Šumec Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2020-11-16 Impact factor: 5.428