A brief, scalable meditation intervention to reduce caregiver anxiety in ambulatory cancer surgery: A pilot study.

418 Background: Caregivers of patients undergoing ambulatory cancer surgery often experience acute anxiety in surgical waiting rooms, which can impair their ability to support postoperative recovery. Although mindfulness-based interventions are effective, traditional formats are time- and resource-intensive, limiting feasibility in fast-paced clinical settings. This pilot study evaluated a 5-minute, audio-guided mind-body meditation—developed by Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Integrative Medicine team—for feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact on caregiver anxiety using a low-resource, scalable delivery model. Methods: A pre–post pilot study was conducted at a high-volume ambulatory oncology surgery center. Caregivers were recruited using QR-coded flyers and completed a Visual Analog Scale for Anxiety (VAS-A) before and after listening to a 5-minute meditation on their personal devices. Participants also completed demographic questions and three Likert-scale items assessing satisfaction, perceived effectiveness, and likelihood of future use. Optional free-text feedback was analyzed thematically. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests assessed anxiety change. Results: Of 73 records, 50 met eligibility criteria. Among these, 44 (88.0%) completed the pre-intervention VAS-A, and 27 (54.0%) completed both pre- and post-assessments. Mean anxiety scores decreased significantly from 5.67 (SD = 2.29) to 4.41 (SD = 2.21); t (26) = 4.49, p < .001. Among caregivers completing acceptability items, mean ratings were high: satisfaction (3.89 ± 0.76), perceived effectiveness (3.94 ± 0.64), and likelihood of future use (3.50 ± 0.79). Respondents were demographically diverse by race, gender, and educational background. Thematic analysis identified five caregiver priorities: (1) calming and emotionally supportive tone, (2) desire for environmental enhancements, (3) interest in creative or expressive outlets, (4) inclusion of spiritual or reflective elements, and (5) need for proactive, culturally sensitive support. Importantly, participants valued the opportunity to be heard and suggested that even attempting the intervention offered emotional relief. Conclusions: This brief meditation intervention was feasible, well-received, and associated with a significant reduction in caregiver anxiety. Findings support scale-up in ambulatory oncology settings and underscore the importance of culturally responsive, emotionally validating interventions in caregiver-centered cancer care.