Emergency Medicine · Medical Literature
Yoga and guided meditation in emergency medicine: Impact on stress, anxiety, and well-being.
Abstract
Background We aimed to evaluate the effects of yoga and guided meditation on stress, anxiety, and well-being in emergency medicine residents. Methods We randomly assigned 81 participants to yoga, guided meditation, or control using a single-level block randomization design. The yoga group attended Hatha yoga classes twice a week, the meditation group learned the technique with audio recordings for independent practice, while the control group received no training. Anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), and general well-being (Adult APGAR [Adult access, priorities, growth, assistance, respon-sibility]) were assessed at baseline, week 3, and week 6. Results Significant differences between groups were observed in anxiety scores at the end of 6 weeks (H:15.35, p<0.001). The control group had the highest mean (SD) anxiety score 20.63 (7.70). The yoga and meditation groups showed a significant difference in change in anxiety scores at week 6 (p=0.031). Both intervention groups showed a significant reduction in perceived stress levels compared to the control group (U:22.0, p<0.001; U:147.0, p<0.001) independently. For the APGAR score, the yoga group showed a significant increase from baseline compared to the control group (U:76.0, p<0.001). Conclusion Our study suggests that both regular yoga and guided meditation interventions are effective in reducing anxiety and stress levels while improving the well-being of emergency medicine residents. Signifi-cantly, the yoga group showed even greater improvement, underscoring the efficacy of this approach.
Clinical relevance
Do yoga or guided meditation interventions, compared to no intervention, reduce anxiety, perceived stress, and improve overall well-being in emergency medicine residents over a 6-week period? __SNAPSHOT__ {"studyDesign":"Randomized controlled trial (three-arm parallel group; single-level block randomization)","setting":"Not reported (presumed academic emergency medicine residency program; country not specified in abstract)","sampleSize":"n=81 (yoga group, guided meditation group, and control group; exact per-arm allocation not reported in abstract)","population":"Emergency medicine residents; additional demographic characteristics and inclusion/exclusion criteria not reported in abstract","intervention":"Two active interventions: (1) Hatha yoga classes twice weekly for 6 weeks; (2) Guided meditation learned via audio recordings for independent self-practice over 6 weeks","comparator":"Control group: no yoga or meditation training provided","primaryOutcome":"Not explicitly designated as a single primary outcome in the abstract; outcomes assessed were anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI]), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale [PSS]), and general well-being (Adult APGAR score) at baseline, week 3, and week 6","followUp":"6 weeks (assessments at baseline, week 3, and week 6)","fundingSource":"Not reported"}
Key findings
At 6 weeks, a statistically significant difference in anxiety scores was observed across the three groups (Kruskal-Wallis H=15.35, p<0.001). The control group had the highest mean (SD) anxiety score at week 6 [mean 20.63 (SD 7.70)]; mean anxiety scores for the yoga and meditation groups at week 6 were not reported in the abstract. A pairwise comparison between the two active intervention groups revealed a statistically significant difference in change in anxiety scores at week 6 (p=0.031), indicating yoga and meditation did not produce equivalent anxiety reduction, though direction of superiority is not specified in the abstract. For perceived stress, both the yoga group (Mann-Whitney U=22.0, p<0.001) and the meditation group (U=147.0, p<0.001) independently showed significant reductions compared to the control group; absolute PSS score differences and effect sizes were not reported. Regarding the Adult APGAR (well-being) score, the abstract was truncated and results for this outcome were not fully reported. No adverse events were mentioned. NNT/NNH cannot be calculated from the data provided.
Practice implications
This 3-arm RCT provides preliminary evidence that both Hatha yoga and guided meditation reduce anxiety and perceived stress in emergency medicine residents over a 6-week period compared to no intervention. The statistically significant between-group difference in anxiety score change (yoga vs. meditation, p=0.031) suggests the two modalities may not be interchangeable, but without reported effect sizes or confidence intervals, the clinical magnitude and direction of this difference cannot be assessed. The absolute reductions in BAI and PSS scores were not reported in the abstract, making it impossible to determine whether the observed statistical differences translate into clinically meaningful improvements (e.g., crossing validated threshold scores). Well-being (Adult APGAR) results were not fully reported in the available abstract. Findings are applicable to emergency medicine residents but generalizability to attending physicians, other specialties, or non-trainee populations is unknown. Demographic characteristics, adherence rates, attrition, and whether randomization achieved baseline comparability are not reported. This review is based on the abstract only; access to the full text may reveal additional data important to clinical interpretation. __LIMITATIONS__ Abstract truncation: Adult APGAR (well-being) results were cut off; complete outcome data unavailable for critical appraisal.,Absence of reported absolute effect sizes, confidence intervals, or between-group mean differences for any outcome; only p-values and group means (one group only for anxiety) are available.,No blinding of participants or outcome assessors is feasible or described for a behavioral intervention of this type; risk of performance and detection bias is inherent.,Per-arm sample size not reported; with n=81 across three groups (~27 per arm), the trial is likely underpowered to detect small-to-moderate between-group differences or to conduct meaningful subgroup analyses.,Single-level block randomization described, but allocation concealment and baseline comparability across groups are not reported.,Adherence to yoga class attendance and frequency/duration of independent meditation practice were not reported; contamination between arms is possible.,Attrition and per-protocol vs. intention-to-treat analysis not described.,Short follow-up (6 weeks) precludes any conclusions about durability of effect after intervention cessation.,No active control (e.g., health education or light stretching) was used; benefits could reflect non-specific effects of group participation, attention, or expectancy rather than the specific intervention modalities.,Generalizability is limited to emergency medicine residents; country/setting not reported in abstract.,Funding source not disclosed, preventing assessment of potential sponsorship bias. __BOTTOM_LINE_CATEGORY__ promising_but_preliminary __BOTTOM_LINE__ This small 3-arm RCT (n=81) found that both Hatha yoga and guided meditation significantly reduced anxiety and perceived stress in emergency medicine residents compared to controls over 6 weeks, with the two modalities producing different degrees of anxiety reduction. However, the absence of reported absolute effect sizes, confidence intervals, adherence data, and complete well-being outcomes—combined with short follow-up and a small per-arm sample—means these results should be considered preliminary hypothesis-generating data rather than sufficient evidence to mandate institutional adoption. Incorporating resident wellness programs that include yoga or meditation remains reasonable given low harm potential and growing contextual evidence, but large, adequately powered trials with longer follow-up are needed before definitive practice recommendations can be made.