Educational intervention versus mindfulness-based intervention for ICU nurses with occupational burnout: A parallel, controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Nurses in the intensive care unit have a high incidence of occupational burnout, which has a serious adverse impact on their physical and mental health. It is imperative, therefore, to explore interventions, especially those that may enhance individual coping resources. Mindfulness has been proven to be one such effective resource. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of an eight-week mindfulness intervention on occupational burnout in ICU nurses.

Methods: One hundred six nurses in two ICUs who met the inclusion criteria were recruited to the program, which consisted of an educational intervention related to burnout (EB, n = 53) or a mindfulness-based intervention (MBIB, n = 53), and the results compared. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQ-II) were administered at T0 (before the intervention), T1 (one week after the intervention), T2 (one month after the intervention), and T3 (three months after the intervention). A total of 91 nurses completed the study. Data were analysed by intention-to-treat analysis and repeated-measures ANOVA to observe the effects of the mindfulness-based intervention on occupational burnout.

Results: Nurses' mindfulness, experiential avoidance, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment were all affected by the intervention. The effect could be maintained to the third month post intervention.

Conclusion: Mindfulness-based intervention can effectively improve the level of mindfulness and decrease the level of experiential avoidance among ICU nurses, alleviating occupational burnout.

Keywords: ICU nurse; Mindfulness-based intervention; Occupational burnout.