One method for objective adherence measurement in mind-body medicine

Objectives: Home practice is frequently prescribed as part of mind-body medicine interventions, although rarely objectively measured. This brief methods report describes one method for objectively measuring home practice adherence using a custom monitoring software program. Design: Methods for objectively measuring adherence were developed as part of a randomized controlled trial on the mechanisms of mindfulness meditation. Settings/location: The study was conducted at Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon. Subjects: The subjects comprised 11 combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Interventions: The method used was mindfulness meditation. Outcome measures: There were subjective and objective adherence measurements of mindfulness meditation home practice. Results: The first iteration of objective adherence monitoring used an iPod device and had limitations in participant usage and correctly capturing data. In the second iteration, objective data were easily collected, uploaded, and viewed using the custom software application, iMINDr. Participants reported that iMINDr was straightforward to use, and they returned the monitoring units as directed. Conclusions: The iMINDr is an example of a simple objective adherence measurement system that may help mind-body researchers examine how home practice adherence may affect outcomes in future clinical trials.