267313 Mindfulness interventions to reduce stress in nursing personnel

Monday, October 29, 2012

Pamela Levin, PhD, APHN-BC , Department of Community, Systems, and Mental Health Nursing, Rush University College of Nursing, Chicago, IL
Janice Zeller, PhD, RN, FAAN , School of Nursing, North Park University, Chicago, IL
Workplace stress within healthcare settings is rampant and predicted to increase in coming years. The profound effects of workplace stress on the health and safety of nursing personnel and patients under their care, as well as the financial impact on organizations (e.g., absenteeism, turnover, productivity) is well documented. While organizational modification is of value to reduce some sources of stress, a number of unique stress producing factors inherent in the work of nursing personnel, such as witnessing supporting patients and families under conditions of loss and participation in procedures that may elicit emotional distress, are immutable to such approaches. Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) training, an evidence-based approach to increasing situational awareness and more positive responses to stressful situations, is an inexpensive approach to reducing nursing personnel stress and improve quality of work life, as well as quality of patient care. MBSR programs have been used for over 25 years for those with various clinical conditions, but have only recently been implemented with worker populations and military personnel to improve operational effectiveness and resilience to stress. The presentation will describe several MBSR training programs and discuss approaches to tailor these interventions to a healthcare setting. Implications for occupational health nurses considering incorporating mindfulness training as an aspect of a comprehensive worksite health promotion program for nursing and other hospital personnel will be explored.

Learning Areas:
Occupational health and safety
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related nursing

Learning Objectives:
Discuss the evidence supporting mindfulness based stress reduction programs with worker populations. Describe at least two components of an evidence based mindfulness based stress reduction training program

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I served as a co-PI for a recent grant submission on this intervention and have conducted three other stress related research projects with nursing personnel as participants.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.