Attitudes towards anti-smoking legislation and prevalence of tobacco consumption in Spanish primary healthcare personnel.

INTRODUCTION: Our aim was to ascertain how the anti-smoking legislation of 2005/2010 has affected the behavior of primary healthcare center (PHC) personnel (medical and nonmedical) with respect to their attitudes towards tobacco, its consumption and the legislative changes. METHODS: We conducted a multi-center descriptive study of a randomized conglomerate sample of PHC personnel from each Autonomous Community in Spain. The questionnaire covered tobacco consumption, and knowledge/attitudes towards smoking and legislation. The statistical analysis used SPSS software. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 2040 PHC employees (1578 women, 77.4%). Never smokers, ex-smokers, and smokers represented 46.7%, 37.8%, and 15.5% of the sample, respectively. Tobacco prevalence amongst physicians and nurses was 12.3%. Following the introduction of the antismoking legislation, a decrease in consumption was observed. Most of the participants considered that tobacco consumption affected health, was an addictive illness, and passive smoking had an impact on the health of non-smokers. Whilst 91.6% agreed with the current legislation, only 25% felt that it encouraged cessation. CONCLUSIONS: Spanish primary healthcare professionals have a relatively low prevalence of smoking compared to the general population. It is necessary to implement more legislative measures to improve and maintain this outcome.

Evaluación de la efectividad de un programa de mindfulness y autocompasión para reducir el estrés y prevenir el burnout en profesionales sanitarios de atención primaria / Evaluation of the effectiveness of a Mindfulness and Self-Compassion program to reduce stress and prevent burnout in Primary Care health professionals

Objetivo: Evaluar la efectividad de un programa de mindfulness y autocompasión sobre los niveles de estrés y burnout en profesionales sanitarios de atención primaria. Diseño: Ensayo clínico controlado aleatorizado. Participantes y emplazamiento: Se ofertó entrenamiento en mindfulness a los 1.281 profesionales sanitarios de atención primaria de Navarra y aceptaron 48. Se asignaron por sorteo 25 participantes al grupo intervención, quedando los 23 restantes en el grupo control. Intervención: El programa de entrenamiento en mindfulness y autocompasión consistía en sesiones de 2,5 h/semana durante 8 semanas, a las que había que asistir al menos al 75% de las sesiones y realizar una práctica diaria de 45 min. Mediciones principales: Antes-después de la intervención se midieron mediante cuatro cuestionarios los niveles de mindfulness, autocompasión, estrés percibido y burnout. Resultados: Tras la intervención, las puntuaciones del grupo intervención mejoran significativamente en mindfulness (p < 0,001); estrés percibido (p < 0,001); autocompasión: auto-amabilidad p < 0,001, humanidad compartida p=0,004, mindfulness p=0,001; y burnout: cansancio emocional (p = 0,046). La comparación respecto al grupo control muestra diferencias significativas en mindfulness (p < 0,001), estrés percibido (p < 0,001), auto-amabilidad (p < 0,001) y cansancio emocional (p < 0,032). Conclusiones: Este trabajo sugiere que puede ser beneficioso impulsar las prácticas de mindfulness y autocompasión en el ámbito sanitario (AU)

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Program on the levels of stress and burnout in Primary Care health professionals. Design: Randomised, controlled clinical trial. Participants and setting: Training in Mindfulness was offered to 1,281 health professionals in Navarra (Spain) Primary Care, and 48 of them accepted. The participants were randomly assigned to groups: 25 to the intervention group, and the remaining 23 to the control group. Intervention: The Mindfulness and Self-Compassion training program consisted of sessions of 2.5 chours/week for 8 weeks. The participants had to attend at least 75% of the sessions and perform a daily practical of 45 minutes. Main measurements: The levels of mindfulness, self-compassion, perceived stress, and burnout were measured using four questionnaires before and after the intervention. Results: After the intervention, the scores of the intervention group improved significantly in mindfulness (P < .001); perceived stress (P < .001); self-compassion: self-kindness P < .001, shared humanity P = .004, mindfulness P = .001; and burnout: emotional fatigue (P = .046). The comparison with the control group showed significant differences in mindfulness (P < .001), perceived stress (P < .001), self-kindness (P < .001) and emotional fatigue (P = .032). Conclusions: This work suggests that it may be beneficial to encourage mindfulness and self-compassion practices in the health environment (AU)

[Evaluation of the effectiveness of a Mindfulness and Self-Compassion program to reduce stress and prevent burnout in Primary Care health professionals]. / Evaluación de la efectividad de un programa de mindfulness y autocompasión para reducir el estrés y prevenir el burnout en profesionales sanitarios de atención primaria.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Program on the levels of stress and burnout in Primary Care health professionals. DESIGN: Randomised, controlled clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Training in Mindfulness was offered to 1,281 health professionals in Navarra (Spain) Primary Care, and 48 of them accepted. The participants were randomly assigned to groups: 25 to the intervention group, and the remaining 23 to the control group. INTERVENTION: The Mindfulness and Self-Compassion training program consisted of sessions of 2.5chours/week for 8 weeks. The participants had to attend at least 75% of the sessions and perform a daily practical of 45minutes. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: The levels of mindfulness, self-compassion, perceived stress, and burnout were measured using four questionnaires before and after the intervention. RESULTS: After the intervention, the scores of the intervention group improved significantly in mindfulness (P<.001); perceived stress (P<.001); self-compassion: self-kindness P<.001, shared humanity P=.004, mindfulness P=.001; and burnout: emotional fatigue (P=.046). The comparison with the control group showed significant differences in mindfulness (P<.001), perceived stress (P<.001), self-kindness (P<.001) and emotional fatigue (P=.032). CONCLUSIONS: This work suggests that it may be beneficial to encourage mindfulness and self-compassion practices in the health environment.