Research BriefsA pilot study to evaluate mindfulness as a strategy to improve inpatient nurse and patient experiences
Section snippets
Background
Hospitals seeking to remain viable in the current reimbursement environment must develop a laser focus on cost control and the effective use of limited resources. Subsequently, direct caregivers have been expected to do more with less, even as the acuity of the inpatient population has increased.
Caregivers struggle with the effects of their increasing workload, and report feeling overwhelmed and stressed (Anthony and Vidal, 2010, Penque, 2009). Preventable errors in patient care may result from
Purpose
The purpose of the Mindful Nursing Pilot Study was to explore the impact of mindfulness training for nursing staff on their levels of mindfulness, compassion satisfaction, burnout, and stress. In addition, the study attempted to determine the impact on patient satisfaction scores.
Hypotheses
We hypothesized that the unit who participated in a 10-week mindfulness training program would show significant improvement in satisfaction and mindfulness, measured via two sub-scales from the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) Scale Version 5© and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), as compared to the control unit. In addition, we anticipated that patient satisfaction would increase on the intervention unit.
Design
The pilot was designed as a quasi-experimental study; staff on one nursing unit volunteered to participate in a mindfulness training program while staff on a similar nursing unit served as the control group. Recruitment strategies included interest meetings to provide staff with an overview of the study and to introduce the concept of mindfulness. Unit management championed the study and offered to assist with covering patients to allow staff to attend the classes during their normal shifts.
Sample
Attendance
Participants were primarily female registered nurses with tenure of 10 years or less on their nursing unit. About 60% of the 43 participants attended five or more classes. Variable work schedules and the immediacy of patient care prevented most staff from attending all ten classes; therefore, classes were videotaped so staff could view them at their convenience. Weekly emails were sent to the participants to encourage their mindfulness practice; visual reminders were posted around the unit and
Discussion
The results of this pilot study support the potential effectiveness of brief mindfulness training to reduce stress levels of nursing staff. Despite the small sample size both individual and unit measures of stress approached significance. An interesting finding was the difference in individual vs. unit stress levels. Specifically, on both units, participants rated their own stress level lower than that of the unit. This may indicate that individuals believed that their peers' stress levels were
Limitations
The results of this pilot are encouraging in light of several limitations encountered by the research team. The electronic survey was distributed to all staff pre- and post-intervention, regardless of their intention to participate in the training. This was done for two reasons: to increase the sample size and to see if the training would have an impact on the entire unit, even in the absence of full staff participation. However, many of the staff did not complete the survey and thus, the
Implications for practice
Hospitals may find it beneficial to incorporate mindfulness training to reduce stress levels among nursing staff. In addition, the results of this pilot suggest that further study of the impact of mindfulness practices on staff and patient satisfaction, and burnout is warranted. One recommendation is for hospitals to standardize the tools used to measure such key indicators. In studies previously cited, each research team used a different tool to measure mindfulness. Our research team measured
Acknowledgments
Support was received from the WakeMed Foundation. The authors would like to acknowledge the following individuals who contributed to this study: Lorraine Penry, RN; Elena Schertz, RN; Sheila Veeder, RN; Pauline Stillman, RN; Crystal Drake, RN and Bill Bass.
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Cited by (52)
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2020, Clinical Simulation in NursingThe benefits of mindfulness-based interventions on burnout among health professionals: A systematic review
2020, ExploreCitation Excerpt :The burnout sub-score of the ProQOL decreased significantly in Duarte's study.36 Horner's study40 was single-centred and assessed weekly half-hour sessions of mindfulness over a period of 10 weeks. The study included different types of professional and burnout was measured using the ProQOL at baseline and immediately after the end of the MI.
- 1
At the time of the study, Janice Horner was affiliated with WakeMed Health & Hospitals.
- 2
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