Improving performance and happiness among healthcare workers through a body-mind approach in a healthcare setting in Sri Lanka.
BACKGROUND
Cognitive ergonomics in the work place has become a serious concern with the need to keep people happy at work while maintaining high productivity. Hence, it is worth exploring how the outcomes of lifestyle-based mind development programs can bring about happiness in workplace while keeping productivity and quality of services high.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of the present work was to test a body-mind technique to improve cognitive ergonomics in a health care work setting.


METHODS
Principal investigator explored many body-mind techniques before selecting the present method of "insight meditation" which he mastered before applying it on a group of scholars who made it a part of their lifestyle. Later it was introduced to a sample of 500 volunteer health personnel in the western province to generate a ripple effect of happiness at work.


RESULTS
Initial qualitative information indicated improvement of some aspects of cognitive ergonomics among those who practiced it. There was a relief from stress during the practice sessions and improvements in the commitment to work and in team spirit. A demand was observed for further training. A quasi-experimental study to test the improvements is underway.


CONCLUSIONS
Health workers showed interest in the mind training and potential benefits to individuals and the institutions were observed.
M W
MW
Gunathunga
D004526:Efficiency; D006804:Ergonomics; D006240:Happiness; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D019122:Meditation; D016272:Occupational Health; D013188:Sri Lanka; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control
Cognitive ergonomics; meditation; mental health; ripple effect; workers’ health