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Stress in Healthcare Professionals: Caring for the Carers

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Background: Healthcare Professionals commonly experience elevated stress levels, and this issue has only further intensified by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Mindfulness-based intervention have been shown to improve stress levels in diverse populations. Objective: The purpose of this project was to evaluate if an online, multicomponent MBI can reduce stress levels…

Background: Healthcare Professionals commonly experience elevated stress levels, and this issue has only further intensified by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Mindfulness-based intervention have been shown to improve stress levels in diverse populations. Objective: The purpose of this project was to evaluate if an online, multicomponent MBI can reduce stress levels in healthcare professionals enrolled in a graduate health program. Methods: Recruitment was conducted at two different Southwestern institutions via email announcement from university’s program directors. The brief, 12-day intervention involved (1) self-guided online educational modules, (2) one group course via the platform zoom, and (3) at home practice of guided meditation session. The Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) was used to measure stress levels pre- and post-intervention. General feedback of experience was also inquired on Postsurvey. Results: Sample comprised of 17 health professionals enrolled in a graduate health program from two different Southwestern Institutions. Scores from PSS-10 in postsurvey (M=20.94, SD=6.04) were statistically significantly lower than scores in pre survey (M=24.24, SD=5.78), t(16) = 3.35, p = .004. A large effect size was detected with findings (d = .81). Conclusions: Mindfulness Based Interventions may be able to reduce stress levels in healthcare professionals. More literature should focus on mindfulness intervention tailored to the needs of healthcare professionals.
ContributorsAfrin, Farhana (Author) / Uriri-Glover, Johannah (Thesis advisor) / Arizona State University. College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation (Contributor)
Created2021-05-03
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Reducing Polypharmacy with Mobile Apps Among Mental Health Patients

Description

Polypharmacy among psychiatric patients is a concerning trend. From 2007-2010, 58.2% of women and 41.8% of men reported taking five or more prescription drugs within the last 30 days (CDC, 2014). Negative outcomes include prescription drug abuse, side effects, interactions, treatment failure, patient dissatisfaction, and lack of treatment control. The…

Polypharmacy among psychiatric patients is a concerning trend. From 2007-2010, 58.2% of women and 41.8% of men reported taking five or more prescription drugs within the last 30 days (CDC, 2014). Negative outcomes include prescription drug abuse, side effects, interactions, treatment failure, patient dissatisfaction, and lack of treatment control. The associated practice challenges have led to the following PICOT question. In persons with mental health issues receiving care at an outpatient mental health clinic, does engaging in mindfulness practice versus no mindfulness practice change polypharmacy use over a 3-month period?

The project purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of Insight Timer mobile mindfulness app at helping patients self-manage distressing symptoms and reduce polypharmacy. Over three weeks, mental health clinic nurse practitioners (NPs) voluntarily recruited patients (n=12) over age 18 using as needed prescriptions (PRNs), and agreed to use Insight Timer mobile mindfulness app for adjunct symptom management. Consenting participants downloaded the mobile app, and completed a brief questionnaire measuring PRN use at the start of app use, and PRN use at their next visit. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated a 10-week mindfulness app trial did not significantly lower total PRN doses compared with pre-app dosing (Z = -.534, p = .593). Paired t-tests revealed no significant change in pre (M = 65.17, SD = 28.64) versus post (M = 67.75, SD = 20.22) OQ45 life functionality results (t(11) = -.420, p = .683) (d = .121) as a result of app use.

Clinically relevant results illustrated 83.33% of participants taking greater than nine PRN doses over the study period used the app six times or more in place of medication. High PRN users employed the app frequently in place of medication regardless of total PRN doses taken. Practice implications and sustainability recommendations include incorporating mobile app use in treatment plans for high PRN users and educating NP’s on the tangible benefits of mindfulness apps in reducing polypharmacy and easing symptom distress on an ongoing basis.
Keywords: mindfulness, mhealth, mobile apps, mobile smart phone, online, RCT, behavior change, polypharmacy.
ContributorsPierce, Albert (Author) / Guthery, Ann (Thesis advisor)
Created2019-04-29