Experimental Mindfulness Intervention in an Emergency Department for Stress Management and Development of Positive Working Environment
Alexandros Argyriadis, Louiza Ioannidou, Ioannis Dimitrakopoulos, Maritsa Gourni, Georgia Ntimeri, Chrisi Vlachou, Agathi Argyriadi
Healthcare March 17, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11060879 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 14 |
| Population | Nurses working in the Emergency Department of a Public General Hospital in Athens |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 23 |
| Key findings | Nurses in the intervention group who practiced mindfulness meditation showed improvement in cognitive functions (attention, thinking, memory, concentration), professional interpersonal relationships, personal satisfaction, communication with patients and caregivers, sleep rate, and negative emotions and behaviors. The authors suggest mindfulness is an easy, affordable, accessible, and effective method for nurses to strengthen and empower themselves. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions have increasingly gained the interest of health professionals in the last decade, especially practices that are short, economical, easily accessible, and physically, cognitively, and psychologically compelling. Nurses of Emergency Departments are a special, dynamic, but at the same time vulnerable group of health professionals who work in shifts and face multiple challenges. Considering the recent literature and the fact that stress and a hostile work environment are the top ranked health professionals' challenges, there is a need for a further study of the use of mindfulness. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the application of mindfulness on nurses in the Emergency Department on several factors related to daily nursing practice and that directly affect these specific health professionals. This experimental study was performed on 14 participating nurses in the Emergency Department of a Public General Hospital in Athens, randomized into two groups: a control and an intervention group. The data collection tools were two digital smart devices, participatory observation, and semi-structured interviews. By practicing mindfulness meditation, the participating nurses in the intervention group showed improvement in their cognitive functions (attention, thinking, memory, concentration), professional interpersonal relationships, personal satisfaction and communication with patients and caregivers, sleep rate, negative emotions, and behaviors. The findings suggest that the application of mindfulness practices should be considered an easy, affordable, economical, accessible, and effective method that nurses can use to strengthen and empower themselves, enjoying its multiple benefits. The effectiveness of the application of mindfulness remains an important issue for future research in other health professionals as well.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- The Impact of Outdoor in Nature Mindfulness on the Mental Well-being of Children and Adolescents. A Mental Health and Cross-cultural Approach. Materia socio-medica 2024
- The Impact of Mindfulness Interventions on the Well-Being of Intensive Care, Emergency Department and Anaesthesia Staff: A Systematic Review. Nursing in Critical Care May 1, 2026
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction and mental health in department of emergency nurses: A narrative review. World Journal of Psychiatry September 19, 2025
- Does mindfulness-based stress reduction training have an impact on the occupational burnout and stress experienced by nurses? A randomized controlled trial. International archives of occupational and environmental health 2025
Cites 12
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology May 3, 2018
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as a Stress Management Intervention for Healthy Individuals Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine July 22, 2014
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Psychiatry. FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry January 24, 2018
- Positive psychology: mindfulness and its role within mental health nursing British Journal of Mental Health Nursing November 2, 2019
and 7 more in the library