The Effect of Mindfulness -Based Stress Reduction Program on Work Stress in Nurses: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examined randomized controlled trials on mindfulness-based training for nurses and its effect on occupational stress. Five studies involving 380 participants were included. Results indicate that after training, nurses' awareness increased, job stress decreased, and job satisfaction and patient care quality improved. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) reduced depression and anxiety, increased awareness and sleep quality, and reduced sleep problems and fatigue. The authors conclude that MBSR substantially decreases occupational stress in nurses and recommend its use in nursing in-service training.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the randomized controlled studies investigating the effects of mindfulness-based training programs given to nurses on occupational stress and to systematically evaluate the data obtained from the studies. Methods: In order to determine the effect of mindfulnessbased training programs on occupational stress in nurses, PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, Google Scholar, EBSCO host and Cochrane data bases were searched. The search was in English and was conducted using 3 key words (nurse, mindfulness, occupational stress). As a result of the literature rewiew, 7.382 articles were reached and 5 studies were included in the study. Studies were evaluated using the PRISMA checklist. As a result of the literature review, 5 articles including 380 participants were included in there view. Results: When the content of the 5 studies included in this study is examined, it is noteworthy that after the training, the awareness levels of nurses increased, their job stress levels decreased, their job satisfaction and patient care quality increased. It was determined that MBSR education reduced the depression and anxiety levels of nurses and played an important role in increasing their awareness levels and sleep quality significantly. In addition, with the data obtained, it was found that the mindfulness-based stress eduction program also reduced sleep problems and fatigue levels. Conclusion: The studies examined showed that mindfulness-based stress reduction program greatly decreased occupational stress in nurses. So it can be recommended to use the MBSR program in nursing inservice training.