This month, Hanley et al. (2021) published a pilot randomized controlled trial in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine to assess the effect of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI), applied in the waiting room, on subsequent osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) outcomes. Before receiving OMT, thirty-nine pain patients (51.3% cancer patients) listened to an eight-minute audio recording that comprised either the history of osteopathic medicine (control group) or a guided mindful meditation (intervention group). Outcomes included self-ratings from 0 to 10 of mindfulness and embodied safety (before and after listening to the recording), as well as pain, fatigue, nausea, health, and treatment satisfaction (before and after OMT); further, a digital manikin was used for patients to report (the ratio of) pleasant/unpleasant sensations in the body. The intervention group showed enhanced mindfulness of the body, embodied safety, and treatment satisfaction, but no improved pain or sensation ratio outcomes. However, OMT decreased pain and unpleasant sensations and increased pleasant sensations in both groups. Thus, integrating OMT with MBI in the waiting room seems feasible, therein, increasing patients’ mindfulness connection and safety within their bodies and decreasing pain and unpleasant sensations, while increasing pleasant sensations and treatment satisfaction.
Hanley, A.W., Garland, E.L., Wilson Zingg, R., 2021. Mindfulness-based waiting room intervention for ostoepathic manipulation patients: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, 121(4), 337-348.
