With growing access to the internet, online mindfulness programmes have become more commonly used to manage physical and mental health conditions. This scoping review aims to determine the nature and extent of the literature, and key characteristics, of online mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for adults with physical or mental health conditions.

A scoping review guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute framework.

MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Allied and Complementary Medicine and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.

Studies focusing on online MBIs, online mindfulness-based stress reduction and online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in adults with a physical or mental health condition were included.

Study and participant characteristics, key intervention characteristics, outcome measures and results were abstracted.

84 studies were included. Online MBIs have been studied in many different physical and mental health conditions; however, 63 of the included studies were for physical health conditions. MBCT was the most common intervention type assessed, with 33 of the included studies assessing it. Regarding intervention characteristics, intervention duration was similar across intervention type at 8 weeks, with sessions led by therapists, clinicians or mindfulness instructors. Web-based and videoconferencing were the most common delivery formats. Intervention content generally remained similar to standardised MBIs, with the addition of psychoeducation and disease management. Many studies did not report on tailoring the intervention to the participant population. There was a lack of consistency in reporting intervention characteristics.

This review highlights some evidence for online mindfulness programmes for both physical and mental health conditions. However, intervention componentry remains somewhat obscure, and reporting on tailoring appears relatively sparse. Greater consistency in reporting intervention componentry will improve knowledge and study in this area and enhance the translation of these interventions to clinical settings.

To determine caregiver knowledge of, attitudes towards, and perceptions of feeding practices for infants admitted to a tertiary referral hospital with severe pneumonia, and to identify community feelings about nasogastric tube feeding in Malawi.

The paediatric ward of a government tertiary referral hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi.

From March through April 2023, we conducted in-depth interviews with 14 mothers of infants 0–12 months of age hospitalised with severe pneumonia who had been enrolled in an observational study evaluating feeding and swallowing in breastfed infants. In-depth interviews assessed mothers’ attitudes towards hospital feeding practices including nasogastric tube feeding, along with community perceptions of nasogastric tubes. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach to assess themes and subthemes of transcripts.

Mothers understood that children with pneumonia are at risk of ‘choking’ during oral feeding; however, they had substantial worries about both withholding breastfeeding and providing nasogastric feeds to their infants through a nasogastric tube. Community perceptions of nasogastric tubes were widely negative and included beliefs that nasogastric tubes cause children to ‘choke’ and die and that medical providers want to harm children. Mothers held strong beliefs about the benefits of breastfeeding.

There are alarming misconceptions in the community around nasogastric tubes and the intentions of medical providers. This leads to maternal concerns about this hospital feeding practice, poor adherence to medical recommendations, and mistrust in the broader healthcare system. To improve hospital outcomes of children with severe pneumonia, caregiver and community education is needed.