RSCH FPX 7860 Assessment 1: Mindfulness Intervention to Reduce Nurse Stress and Fatigue

1. Introduction & Problem Statement

Nanny stress and compassion fatigue are patient issues linked to collapse, development, and suboptimal case management.  Interventions that enhance adaptability, such as brief awareness training, have demonstrated promise in alleviating stress and improving well-being; however, evidence in active, real-world medical-surgical units is still limited.  This study will assess whether a detail-oriented, unit-delivered awareness intervention diminishes perceived stress and compassion fatigue among registered nurses in comparison to a matched control group over an 8-week duration. 

 Research inquiry: Does engagement in a 6-week detail awareness intervention diminish perceived stress and compassion fatigue among RNs in a medical-surgical unit, in contrast to RNs in a comparable control unit? 

Assumptions 

 H1 nurses who participate in the awareness intervention will exhibit a diminished reduction in perceived stress (PSS-10) at the 8-week mark compared to nurses in the control group. 

 H2 nurses who share will report a lesser reduction in compassion fatigue (ProQOL Compassion Fatigue subscale) at 8 weeks compared to controls. 

2. Literature Summary (brief)

Methodical reviews show that awareness-based interventions (MBIs) lower stress and burnout among healthcare workers, but most studies use intense programs (8 weeks, 2–3 hours per week).  Shorter, manageable interventions (micro-practice, brief group sessions) demonstrate implicit efficacy but require further rigorous quasi-experimental or randomized worksite studies to assess effectiveness in routine clinical environments.  This study adds to the body of knowledge by evaluating a practical, concise MBI integrated into unit routines. 

 When you write your final paper, make sure to include relevant reviews and primary studies, such as methodical reviews on MBIs for healthcare workers, ProQOL psychometrics, and PSS trustability.

3. Theoretical Framework

 The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (Lazarus & Folkman) serves as the theoretical framework for this study, asserting that stress arises from the evaluation and management of resources.  Awareness practices seek to alter appraisal and improve management, consequently diminishing perceived stress and secondary traumatic effects. 

4. Design & Methods

Study design

 A quasi-experimental, nonrandomized control-group retest-posttest design (two units of intervention versus a matched control).  This design is feasible for unit-position interventions where random assignment of individuals may be unfeasible. 

RSCH FPX 7860 Assessment 1: Setting & sample

• Two similar medical-surgical units in one community hospital. 
•  Additional RNs working on the unit for at least 0.5 full-time equivalents, providing direct case care, and willing to share. 
•  Nurses who were turned down for extended leave during the study period. 
•  Estimating the size of a sample  For a medium effect (d = 0.50), with α = 0.05 and power = 0.80, the required sample size (n) is approximately 64 (32 per group).  Allow for 20 waste and 40 novitiate per group (total N = 80). 

Intervention

• detail awareness Program( BMP) 6 daily group sessions of 30 nanoseconds each held on the unit (short guided practice)  10 seconds of thinking (30 minutes total). 
•  diurnal homemicro-practice (5–10 twinkles with guided audio). 
•  A trained facilitator (a nanny with some schoolteacher training) will lead the session. 
•  Attendance was tracked, and adherence was defined as attending at least four sessions. 

Measures / instruments

• The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is a validated 10-point tone-report that measures perceived stress before and after an event. 
•  Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL v5) — subscales for Compassion Fatigue (secondary traumatic stress) and Compassion Satisfaction. 
•  Demographics and work variables include age, gender, part-time or full-time status, recent major life events, and shift times. 
•  Intervention adequacy—brief post-intervention check (5 items)  Likert open comment. 
•  All tools have been proven to be reliable and valid; any authorization conditions will be dealt with. 

Data collection timeline

• T0 (birth)  For both units, Week 0 is for PSS-10, ProQOL, and demographics. 
•  Time for intervention  Weeks 1–6 (BMP delivered to the intervention unit). 
•  Week 8 of T1 (post) — reprise  PSS-10, ProQOL, and an adequacy check. 
•  T2 (follow-up) is voluntary.  3-month post to look at conservation (if time and money allow). 

Data analysis plan

• Use descriptive statistics to look at the sample’s characteristics and compare the groups at birth using t-tests or ki-forecourt tests. 
•  Main analysis  Mixed-design ANOVA (Group × Time) for PSS-10 and ProQOL Compassion Fatigue scores to evaluate H1/H2. However, employ nonparametric druthers or robust direct mixed models if hypotheticals are contravened. 
•  Per-protocol and intention-to-treat analyses  Primary analysis conducted by ITT (all enrolled), and perceptivity analysis performed with per-protocol (≥ 4 sessions). 
•  Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are reported. 
•  Secondary analyses  Investigate chairpersons’ experiences, including time management and birth stress, through commercial terminology; adequacy should be illustrated descriptively and through a thematic summary of open commentary.  

5. Ethical Considerations

• IRB  Send the protocol to the IRB for review; it probably qualifies as research on living people with informed consent. 
•  Privacy  Used identified numeric canons; kept records of translated university and sanitarium waiters. 
•  pros and cons  Low threat; implicit benefit = less stress.  Give coffers (EAP, comforting referral) in agreement with accessories.  Participation is optional, and there is no penalty for not participating. 

6. Feasibility, Timeline & Budget (high-level)

Time frame: about four months  IRB approval (4 to 6 weeks), birth data collection (1 week), intervention (6 weeks), post-data collection (week 8), and analysis/reporting (4 to 6 weeks). 

 Budget (estimate): facilitator salary or training ($1,200), minimum printing and audio product ($200), small party incitement (e.g., $20 gift card × 80 = $1,600), total = $3,000–$4,000.  Use the small entitlement or departmental finances from the university or sanitarium. 

7. Limitations & Mitigation

• The nonrandomized design restricts unproductive conclusions by matching units on critical variables and adjusting for birth differences statistically. 
•  Threat of impurity (staff moving between units) can be reduced by scheduling and shadowing pier patterns and including perceptivity analysis that bans cross-floats. 
•  tone-report bias—reduce with validated tools and stress privacy. 
•  Plan for acceptable reclamation and monuments based on sample size and waste. If necessary, use multiple insinuations for missing data. 

8. Dissemination Plan

 Share the results through a unit donation, a meeting about the quality of the sanitarium, and a handwritten note sent to a peer-reviewed nursing journal.  Write a one-page summary for the course and a 1,500-word APA report for the course. 

9. Conclusion

 This quasi-experimental study examines a scalable, concise awareness program implemented within a medical-surgical unit. But the intervention gives a doable way to lower nanny stress and compassion fatigue with a small amount of resources, if it works.