Mindfulnes-Based Stress Reduction for Older Couples with Metabolic Syndrome: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: We examined the feasibility and explored the physical, psychological, relational, and biological effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), an 8-week standardized mindfulness program, involving older married couples (60 years or older) with metabolic syndrome (one or both partners had metabolic syndrome). We also explored gender differences.

Methods: A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) compared MBSR to a Wait List Control (WLC) arm at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up clinic visits.

Assessment of unconscious decision aids applied to complex patient-centered medical decisions.

Background: To improve patient health, recent research urges for medical decision aids that are designed to enhance the effectiveness of specific medically related decisions. Many such decisions involve complex information, and decision aids that independently use deliberative (analytical and slower) or intuitive (more affective and automatic) cognitive processes for such decisions result in suboptimal decisions. Unconscious thought can arguably use both intuitive and deliberative (slow and analytic) processes, and this combination may further benefit complex patient (or practitioner) decisions as medical decision aids.