Virtual Mindfulness Rounds in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Mindfulness education will be provided via a virtual platform to see if staff stress can be decreased during this time of pandemic.

Detailed Description
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Healthcare workers have been front and center in battling the COVID crisis. This is a situation the researchers could never have envisioned before it happened. Of course, this has triggered an inordinate amount of stress. Research shows that chronic stress leaves one imbalanced and one's health and happiness to suffer. Research has also demonstrated that how one thinks about stress determines how the body responds to it. Simple mindfulness practices provide healthier ways to deal with stress. In this study, the researchers will introduce modified mindfulness practices that can be practiced in the healthcare setting or at home. All of the practices are based on mindfulness principles. Mindfulness refers to a state of being present in the moment, on purpose, and without judgment. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction is an 8 week, 2 hours/week curriculum that has shown results for over 40 years. All the practices in this study are adapted from that protocol. The intervention includes several mindfulness practices including an awareness of breath focus instruction, breath-and-body coordination and awareness instruction, and instruction in identifying times to practice these exercises. The intervention will be delivered virtually 2-day/week, twice/day, for four weeks. Effectiveness will be measured by the voluntary, anonymous submission of a Perceived Stress Scale, a validated survey tool to determine an individual's perceived stress level. Participants will be healthcare workers and hospital staff in the Mount Sinai Hospital system.

Official Title
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The Impact of Virtual Mindfulness Education Sessions on Staff Perceived Stress During COVID-19

Conditions
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Chronic Stress

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Mindfulness Rounds


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Mount Sinai Hospital employee Exclusion Criteria: None

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 65 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Other: Health Care Workers<br>Voluntary participation in the virtual presentations | Other: Mindfulness Rounds<br>* Virtually delivered mindfulness education sessions of 15-30 minutes, two times/week, for four weeks<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Perceived Stress Scale | Participants will file a 10 question validated survey tool call the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) before and after the 4-week virtual educational intervention. Total scale range from 0 to 40, higher score indicates more perceived stress | baseline and Week 6 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Stress mindfulness