The Impact of a Mindfulness Intervention for Nurse Managers

Purpose: To examine the impact of a mindfulness intervention on nurse managers in an acute care hospital. Design: A pre/post intervention design with three data collection points: prior to, at the conclusion of, and at 3 months following the intervention. Method: A survey to measure the impact of a mindfulness workshops on nurse managers’ perception of professional quality of life, burnout, and perceived wellness. Findings: There were significant changes in the scores on the compassion satisfaction (T-1 mean 3.9, T-2 mean 4.5, p = .002) and burnout subscales (T-1 mean 3.4, T-2 mean 2.8, p = .016) of the Professional Quality of Life scale, and on personal burnout (T-1 mean 4.2, T-2 mean 3.8, p = .023) and work-related burnout (T-1 mean 4.0, T-2 mean 3.5, p = .029) on the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory scale, following the mindfulness intervention. The 3-month follow-up scores on compassion satisfaction were higher but not statistically significant (p = .810). Scores on the burnout scales, while lower than the preintervention levels, were higher at the 3-month follow-up than immediately following the intervention. Conclusions: These findings suggest that mindfulness practices need to be reinforced. Without continuous reinforcement, it may become a self-care practice moved to the bottom of the list of things to be done among the activities of a busy day.