Nurse Health Pilot: Feasibility and Acceptability of a Virtual ACT-intervention in Nurses During COVID-19

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Frontline nurses increasingly face challenges between executing their jobs to the best of their ability and caring for their own physical and mental health. Such a stressful and fast-changing work environment impacts the nurses' psychological wellbeing, resulting in high levels of stress and burnout, which in turn negatively affects patient care and outcomes. The aim of this study is to investigate whether a short virtual intervention, based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and adapted to caregivers, can lead to a reduction in psychological distress that may be associated with caregiving during the COVID-19 pandemic. The intervention will be held online in a group setting during two half-day workshops using a conference application (e.g. Zoom). Note: This study is part of an international joint research project Nurse Health between the Faculty of Psychology (University of Basel) and the Nethersole School of Nursing (Chinese University of Hong Kong), funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), with the Leading House for the Bilateral Science and Technology Cooperation Programme with Asia at ETH Zürich (Project No. COV_09_062020).

Official Title
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Feasibility and Acceptability of a Virtual ACT-intervention in Nurses Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Pilot Study)

Conditions
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Stress

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: ACT


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: at least 18 years of age degree in nursing working 40% or higher in a team of nurses in the somatic area currently or previously in contact with COVID-19 patients working in Switzerland Exclusion Criteria: working in non-somatic areas (e.g. psychiatry) working in non-hospital environments (e.g. home treatment) not owning an electronic device unable to understand and speak German

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 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: Basic Science
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: ACT<br>A digitally-based ACT program will be conducted in two half-day workshops via meeting software (e.g. Zoom) consisting of: mindfulness exercises, for stress reduction and to guide nurses to observe their painful thoughts and feelings that they are attempting to avoid; ACT-metaphors, to let nurses realize the cost of struggling with psychological distress often create more distress; experiential exercises, to guide nurses to notice their own experiences in providing nursing care throughout their nursing career and explore any special qualities; explore the nurses' values with respect to different areas in their lives. | Behavioral: ACT<br>* Acceptance and Commitment Therapy<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) | Assessment of the perception of psychological stress (10 items) | 8 weeks | 
| General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) | Assessment of the severity of anxiety (7 items) | 8 weeks | 
| Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) | Assessment of the severity of depression (9 items) | 8 weeks | 
| Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) | Assessment of the severity of burnout (22 items) | 8 weeks | 
| Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) | Assessment of perceived emotional wellbeing (14 items) | 8 weeks | 
| Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire (PsyFlex) | Assessment of psychological flexibility (6 items) | 8 weeks | 
| Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) | Assessment of the extent of valued living (10 items) | 8 weeks | 
| Mueller and McCloskey Satisfaction Scale (MMSS) | Assessment of nurses' job satisfaction (31 items) | 8 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Program Attendance/ Attrition Rate | Percentage of program attendance | 8 weeks | 
| Homework Completion | Percentage of completed homework | 8 weeks | 
| Program Satisfaction | Rate of nurses' satisfaction with the program | 8 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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stress, resilience, wellbeing