MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (September 9, 2003) - A year-long pilot exploring the impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction on solid organ transplant patients has led to the award of a five-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct a larger clinical trial. The trial will compare two approaches to symptom management after transplant surgery.
Studies reveal anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances are among the many symptoms that kidney, pancreas, heart, lung and liver transplant patients experience post-surgery. These symptoms are often in response to such stresses as income loss, physical limitations, fear of organ rejection, susceptibility to illness, and high medical costs. These symptoms may continue for years.
Principal investigator Cynthia Gross, Ph.D., professor of Pharmacy and Nursing, and co-principal investigator Mary Jo Kreitzer, Ph.D., R.N., Director of the Center of Spirituality and Healing and associate professor in the School of Nursing, will conduct the "Wellness in Transplant" study. One symptom management approach, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, will teach patients to use gentle yoga exercises and mindfulness meditation, a technique popularized by best selling author and integrative medicine expert, Jon Kabat-Zinn. The other approach, Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions, was developed at Stanford University and is an innovative peer-led education program emphasizing exercise, diet, and communication with health care providers.
The study will enroll 150 solid organ transplant recipients from Fairview-University Medical Center, Hennepin County Medical Center, and other health systems. Researchers will evaluate anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, objective sleep changes, quality of life, and use of health care services at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Prior to the grant award, Gross and Kreitzer completed a pilot study that showed mindfulness-based stress reduction helped to reduce transplant-related stresses.
The College of Pharmacy, the only school of pharmacy in Minnesota, offers its program on the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses. Founded in 1892, the College of Pharmacy educates pharmacists and scientists and engages in research and practice to improve the health of the people of Minnesota and society.
A nationally recognized leader, the Center for Spirituality and Healing oversees the university's efforts to integrate complementary care and healing practices into patient care, research, and health sciences education. For more information, call 612-624-9459 or visit www.csh.umn.edu
The Academic Health Center (AHC) is home to the University of Minnesota's seven health professional schools and colleges, including the College of Pharmacy, as well as several health-related centers and institutions. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land-grant institutions in the country. The AHC mission is to prepare the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.
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