Mindfulness: Creating the Space for Compassionate Care (original) (raw)
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The Effect of Mindfulness Intervention on Job Stress in Nurses of Intensive Care Units
Journal of Critical Care Nursing, 2017
Background: Nursing is one of the stressful jobs and working in an intensive care unit is inherently stressful due to its active and dynamic features and complexity. One of the appropriate methods for decreasing stress is mindfulness training, therefore, this study aimed at assessing the effect of mindfulness training on nurses' job stress level. Methods: The present study was conducted in intensive care unit of Imam Hussein hospital (SA), a subspecialty hospital in Kermanshah in 2016. This was a pre-and posttest study with a control group in which 60 nurses were randomly and equally placed into 2 groups (control and experimental). Eight 90-minute mindfulness training sessions, one session per week, were provided to the experimental group. After the training sessions, the scale-revised questionnaire on nursing job stress was given to both control and experimental groups; and then, the effect of intervention was measured and compared between the 2 groups. Data analysis was done through descriptive and inferential statistical tests using SPSS 16 software. Results: A significant difference was found between average ± standard deviation of stress scores in the control group before (159.57 ± 20.56) and after (171.63 ± 21.39) mindfulness intervention (P = 0.001). Also, a significant difference was obtained between average ± standard deviation of stress scores in the experimental group before (165.28 ± 21.35) and after (118.20 ± 17.52) mindfulness intervention (P = 0.001). However, no significant difference was detected between the control (159.57± 20.56) and experimental (165.28 ± 21.35) groups in average ± standard deviation of stress scores before mindfulness intervention (P = 0.31). A significant statistical difference was found between the experimental (118.20 ± 17.52) and control (171.63 ± 21.39) groups after training (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Mindfulness intervention can decrease job stress of the nurses who work in intensive care units. Therefore, considering the importance of nurses' mental health, which influences quality of health care services and patients' satisfaction, it is recommended that the health centers and hospital managers put mindfulness intervention training in their agenda.
Mindfulness-based training interventions for employees: A qualitative review of the literature
Human Resource Management Review, 2017
We provide a comprehensive qualitative review of 67 published studies that have examined mindfulness-based training interventions conducted with employees. The findings indicate that the most common research designs were the pre-test/post-test only design (35.8%) and the randomized waitlist control group design (26.9%). About two-thirds of the studies included a control group (61.2%), with approximately three-quarters (75.6%) of these studies using random assignment. Of the 63 studies that used a conventional experimental design, the majority (65.1%) included only one follow-up assessment, most often immediately after training. Results indicated a great degree of heterogeneity in terms of program content, although many studies used some adaptation of Kabat-Zinn's (1990) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (41.8%), an approach with a strong evidentiary base with clinical populations. All training programs incorporated practice, most (85.1%) used multiple methods of delivering the training material, and training varied considerably in total duration, session length, and the number of training sessions. Our review also found that the intended purpose of mindfulness-based training for employees was most commonly the reduction of stress/strain (80.6%), although a wide range of other targeted outcomes were documented. Based on our findings, we offer suggestions for future research aimed at advancing our understanding of mindfulness-based training interventions with employees.
Mindfulness Meditation for Nurses: A Healthy Coping Tool for Emotionally Hazardous Work
Nurse burnout is not just limited to the United States it is a global issue. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the benefits of mindfulness meditation and self-care with emphasis on reducing healthcare provider stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. The study population was focused predominantly on nurses (RN and LPN), however about 5% of the study population included other healthcare professionals. A review of the literature between the years 2005 and 2019 was conducted and included the search terms nurse burnout, stress, compassion fatigue in three electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, The Cochrane). Studies included in the review were randomized controlled trials or controlled clinical trials, and they used the measurement tool, Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey. Three hundred fifty-one studies were identified, and twenty studies were ultimately included in the meta-analysis. The studies consistently identified mindfulness meditation as a way to decrease stress levels of healthcare professionals. Findings suggest overall improved well-being of the participants as well as the decreased stress, burnout and compassion fatigue.
Nursing Mindfulness: The Bottom Line
The current review examines the current state of the healthcare industry specifically in relation to costs and causes of predicted trends in nursing. This article presents a snapshot of the U.S. healthcare system in comparison with others and discusses areas of waste identified. The factors involved in the current and predicted nursing shortage are examined including depression, stress, turnover, burnout, education, and staffing ratios. The concept of mindfulness is introduced and suggested as a reliable cost effective method of affecting the nursing shortage.
Mindfulness training in the workplace: exploring its scope and outcomes
European Journal of Training and Development, 2020
Purpose As the concept of mindfulness gains popularity in the workplace, there is a need to understand the extent to which mindfulness-related practices are integrated into training and development activities and the impact of these practices on employees and organizations. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the scope of mindfulness as an intervention in the workplace and to identify outcomes of mindfulness-related training activities at the individual, job/work, team/group and organizational levels. Design/methodology/approach Torraco (2005) and Briner and Denyer's (2012) four steps (search, selection, analysis and synthesis) for conducting an integrative literature review were used for this study. This method enabled us to compare and contrast relevant articles, integrate distributed information, create new knowledge and provide research directions on mindfulness practices in work settings. Findings Through a revision of 28 empirical studies, the authors fo...
Protective benefits of mindfulness in emergency room personnel
Journal of affective disorders, 2015
Recent meta-analyses have found that mindfulness practice may reduce anxiety and depression in clinical populations and there is growing evidence that mindfulness may also improve well-being and quality of care in health professionals. This study examined whether mindfulness protects against the impact of work-related stress on mental health and burnout in emergency room (ER) nurses. ER nurses (N=50) were recruited from an urban teaching hospital in Switzerland and completed a survey on work-related stressors, mindfulness, burnout, depression, and anxiety. The most frequently reported work-related stressor was interpersonal conflict. Nurses working more consecutive days since last taking time off were at greater risk for depression and those reporting more work-related interpersonal conflicts were at greater risk for burnout. Mindfulness was associated with reduced anxiety, depression, and burnout. Mindfulness was a significant predictor of anxiety, depression, and burnout and moder...
Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 2013
PURPOSE Burnout, attrition, and low work satisfaction of primary care physicians are growing concerns and can have a negative influence on health care. Interventions for clinicians that improve work-life balance are few and poorly understood. We undertook this study as a first step in investigating whether an abbreviated mindfulness intervention could increase job satisfaction, quality of life, and compassion among primary care clinicians. METHODS A total of 30 primary care clinicians participated in an abbreviated mindfulness course. We used a single-sample, pre-post design. At 4 points in time (baseline, and 1 day, 8 weeks, and 9 months postintervention), participants completed a set of online measures assessing burnout, anxiety, stress, resilience, and compassion. We used a linear mixed-effects model analysis to assess changes in outcome measures. RESULTS Participants had improvements compared with baseline at all 3 follow-up time points. At 9 months postintervention, they had significantly better scores (1) on all Maslach Burnout Inventory burnout subscales-Emotional Exhaustion (P = .009), Depersonalization (P = .005), and Personal Accomplishment (P <.001); (2) on the Depression (P = .001), Anxiety (P = .006), and Stress (P = .002) subscales of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21; and (3) for perceived stress (P = .002) assessed with the Perceived Stress Scale. There were no significant changes on the 14-item Resilience Scale and the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale. CONCLUSIONS In this uncontrolled pilot study, participating in an abbreviated mindfulness training course adapted for primary care clinicians was associated with reductions in indicators of job burnout, depression, anxiety, and stress. Modified mindfulness training may be a time-efficient tool to help support clinician health and well-being, which may have implications for patient care.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Workplace Burnout: A Literature Review
Creating Healthy Work Environments, 2019
Background: Burnout is a significant issue in the healthcare workplace (Aiken et al., 2002). Nurse burnout leads to negative effects that impact the overall health of the nurse with the potential of producing chronic physical and mental health conditions (Asuero et al., 2014). In addition to the nurse’s own compromised health, nurse burnout can adversely influence the quality of patient care provided (Poghosyan et al., 2010) and the engagement of the nurse in providing empathetic and compassionate care to patients due to compassion fatigue, which facilitates a decline in motivation and helping patients achieve their healthcare goals (Mahon et al., 2017). Nurse burnout has also been found to impact job satisfaction (Aiken et al., 2002), which could negatively impact healthcare organizations due to decreased nurse retention rates. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been introduced as an intervention that brings about awareness and attentiveness to an experience (Halm, 2017)...
A brief mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention for nurses and nurse aides
Applied Nursing Research, 2006
Whereas the causes and negative consequences of stress among nurses are well known, less is known about effective ways to reduce or prevent this growing problem. Mindfulness-based stress reduction programs are proving to be effective in reducing stress and improving health in a variety of clinical populations. A smaller body of evidence suggests that these programs are also effective for nonclinical populations at risk for stress-related health problems. This study involved the development and evaluation of a brief 4-week mindfulness intervention for one such group-nurses and nurse aides. In comparison with 14 wait-list control participants, 16 participants in the mindfulness intervention experienced significant improvements in burnout symptoms, relaxation, and life satisfaction. The results of this pilot study, together with a natural fit between mindfulness philosophy and nursing practice theory, suggest that mindfulness training is a promising method for helping those in the nursing profession manage stress, even when provided in a brief format. D
The Annals of Family Medicine, 2013
PURPOSE Burnout, attrition, and low work satisfaction of primary care physicians are growing concerns and can have a negative influence on health care. Interventions for clinicians that improve work-life balance are few and poorly understood. We undertook this study as a first step in investigating whether an abbreviated mindfulness intervention could increase job satisfaction, quality of life, and compassion among primary care clinicians. METHODS A total of 30 primary care clinicians participated in an abbreviated mindfulness course. We used a single-sample, pre-post design. At 4 points in time (baseline, and 1 day, 8 weeks, and 9 months postintervention), participants completed a set of online measures assessing burnout, anxiety, stress, resilience, and compassion. We used a linear mixed-effects model analysis to assess changes in outcome measures. RESULTS Participants had improvements compared with baseline at all 3 follow-up time points. At 9 months postintervention, they had significantly better scores (1) on all Maslach Burnout Inventory burnout subscales-Emotional Exhaustion (P = .009), Depersonalization (P = .005), and Personal Accomplishment (P <.001); (2) on the Depression (P = .001), Anxiety (P = .006), and Stress (P = .002) subscales of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21; and (3) for perceived stress (P = .002) assessed with the Perceived Stress Scale. There were no significant changes on the 14-item Resilience Scale and the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale. CONCLUSIONS In this uncontrolled pilot study, participating in an abbreviated mindfulness training course adapted for primary care clinicians was associated with reductions in indicators of job burnout, depression, anxiety, and stress. Modified mindfulness training may be a time-efficient tool to help support clinician health and well-being, which may have implications for patient care.