Date of Defense
4-26-2016
Date of Graduation
4-2016
Department
Human Performance and Health Education
First Advisor
Michele McGrady
Second Advisor
Lori Gray
Keywords
mindfulness, physician assistant, prevention
Abstract
The health and wellness of the mind has been an important aspect that has been recognized by different cultures and medical traditions for thousands of years, but was generally neglected in the United States until recently. The beginning of the western mindfulness revolution started when Jon Kabat-Zinn introduced the concept and practice of mindfulness to care for the health and wellness of our mind. “Mindfulness is a simple concept in which one pays attention on purpose, in the present moment, nonjudgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4). Research indicates that mindfulness helps to treat aspects of chronic diseases, pain, as well as lower stress. Health care professionals, specifically Physician Assistant (PA), can have high rates of burnout due to elevated levels of professional stress. This stress has been exacerbated by continual medical knowledge, advancing technology, and increased patient demand due to the Affordable Care Act. The benefits of practicing mindfulness has the capacity to create more compassionate physician assistants, less errors, improved relationship centered care, and more efficient appointments.
Recommended Citation
Bernelis, Amber, "Mindfulness and Prevention in Western Medicine: Focus on Physician Assistant" (2016). Honors Theses. 2672.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/2672
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Open Access
Thesis Presentation