Evaluation of a Biofeedback-assisted Meditation Program as a Stress Management Tool for Hospital Nurses

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Stress
• Interventions: Behavioral: Healing Rhythms™ Meditation Program

• Registration Number: NCT01011790
• Lead Sponsor: Mayo Clinic

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess a novel meditation program which is biofeedback reinforced (Healing Rhythms™) as a means to improving stress management in a population of nurses practicing in the hospital setting.

Detailed Description

Stress is a common problem with significant ramifications for health. This is especially true in the workplace and particularly true for nurses practicing in a hospital environment. A number of factors (e.g. an aging population, the obesity epidemic, patients presenting with multi-system diseases, etc.) have dramatically increased the demands on hospital nurses in the past decade. This increased stress has potential ramifications at a personal level (e.g. increased risk of ill health) as well as an institutional (e.g. higher staff turnover). Meditation has been shown to be an effective tool for stress management. A self-directed, computer-guided meditation training program that can be pursued independently may be particularly useful for hospital nurses where scheduling challenges may preclude the use of scheduled classes. Healing Rhythms™ is a computer program that teaches meditation and uses biofeedback (heart rate variability and galvanic skin response) to reinforce the training.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2008-06
• Primary Completion: 2008-07
• Study Completion: 2008-07
• Study First Submitted: 2009-11-09
• Study First Submitted QC: 2009-11-10
• Study First Posted: 2009-11-11
• Status Verified: 2012-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2012-02-03
• Last Update Posted: 2012-02-07

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 11

Inclusion Criteria

• Subjects ≥ 18 years of age
• Subjects that have given consent to participate
• Subjects that have access to a home computer

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Exclusion Criteria

• Subjects who are currently engaged in a routine meditative practice

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Stress Management Tool	Healing Rhythms™ Meditation Program	All subjects will use the Healing Rhythms™ meditation program for 4 weeks.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Assess the efficacy of a novel meditation program on stress, anxiety and quality of life (QOL) in nurses practicing in the hospital. Compare the level of stress, anxiety and QOL before and after a 4 week training period utilizing Healing Rhythms™.	4 Weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Evaluate feasibility of integrating a novel meditation program into an overall stress management program for nurses practicing in the hospital. Report overall satisfaction and identify challenges with the experience of the meditation program.	4 Weeks

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Mayo Clinic; 🇺🇸 Rochester, Minnesota, United States