The effectiveness of mindfulness based programs in reducing stress experienced by nurses in adult hospital settings: a systematic review of quantitative evidence protocol.
JBI database of systematic reviews and implementation reports October 1, 2015 Elmarie Botha, Teri Gwin, Christina Purpora
This systematic review evaluates evidence on mindfulness-based programs for reducing stress in nurses in adult hospital settings. The authors describe the severe stressors nurses face, including long hours, staffing shortages, and complex patients, which lead to burnout, depression, and lateral violence. They cite statistics: 43% of burned-out nurses intended to leave versus 11% of non-burned-out; one extra patient per nurse increased burnout by 23%; depression rates were 10% in Canadian nurses, 38% in Chinese, and 27.7% in Taiwanese. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an eight-week program with weekly sessions and a retreat, shown to reduce stress in general populations, but few studies focus on nurses. The review aims to fill this gap.