BackgroundPhysician burnout is a growing phenomenon in current health systems worldwide. With the emergence of COVID-19, burnout in healthcare is progressively becoming a serious concern. Increasing emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment threaten the effective delivery of healthcare. Compassion fatigue and moral injury are a considerable risk to the doctor-patient relationship. These issues can potentially be mitigated by mindfulness practice, which has shown promising results in reducing burnout, restoring compassion, and preventing moral injury in physicians.MethodologyA scoping review was conducted to investigate the effects of mindfulness practice on physician burnout. High-ranking journals were targeted to analyze high-quality studies and synthesize common themes in the literature. Studies conducted on current practicing physicians were included. Mindfulness practice of varying forms was the main intervention studied. Gray literature and studies conducted only on allied health personnel were excluded from this review.Results31 studies were included in this scoping review. Mindfulness practice decreased emotional exhaustion and depersonalization while improving mood, responses to stress, and vigor. Self-awareness, compassion, and empathy were also increased in study participants. From this review, four themes emerged: innovations in mindfulness practice, mindfulness and positive psychology, the impact of mindfulness on work and patient care, and barriers and facilitators to physician mindfulness practice.ConclusionMindfulness was widely reported to benefit mental health and well-being, but the studies reviewed seemed to adopt a mono focus and omitted key considerations to healthcare leadership, systems-level culture, and practices. Mindfulness practice is a quintessential component of positive psychology and is inherently linked to effective leadership. A mindful and compassionate physician leader will play a crucial role in addressing current practice gaps, prioritizing staff mental health, and providing a supportive platform for innovation.

Background and objectives: Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) in primary care physicians (PCPs) have yet to be assessed in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The objectives of this study were to measure the prevalence of DAS in PCPs in the public health centers and examine the factors that influence the development of DAS. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2014 using Lovibond's short form of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, a self-report measure of DAS. A total of 336 PCPs working in the public sector at the time were identified from the Ministry of Health database and contacted to answer demographic questions included in the questionnaire. Results: Out of 336 PCPs, 210 participated in the questionnaire with a response rate of 63%. Most of the PCPs were women (78.1%), aged between 35 and 50 years (60%), and were either family physicians or consultant family physicians. Also, 39.5% of the PCPs were found to be dissatisfied with their job. The prevalence rates of DAS were 38.6%, 37.6%, and 38.6%, respectively, ranging from mild to extremely severe. Working as nonconsultant family physicians, working for longer hours per week, dissatisfaction with the job, and taking more number of sick leaves were the risk factors for depression and/or anxiety. However, among PCPs aged less than 35 years, lower salary range and dissatisfaction with the job were the risk factors for stress. Conclusion: The levels of mental health difficulties in PCPs cannot be ignored and need prompt action. These issues need to be addressed to provide support to PCPS and ensure the unaffected patient quality of care. Recommendations on how to improve current working conditions should be suggested to the relevant authorities.