Clinical trial NCT01082497: Mindfulness Training for Staff (MTS)
Official title: Mindfulness Training and Developing the Ability of Empathy at an Inpatient Ward for Dual Diagnoses
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: EARLY_PHASE1
Conditions: Stress
Keywords: Mindfulness
Stress
Burnout
Ward atmosphere
Stress and burnout among staff, psychosocial atmosphere at the ward
Lead sponsor: University Hospital of North Norway
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2010-03-08
Enrollment: 53
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 70
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a mindfulness based 8-week course for stress reduction, known as MBSR course, given to all staff at an inpatient psychiatric ward influences the level of stress and burnout and the psychosocial atmosphere at the ward.

The design is an intervention trial with repeated measures and control group.The focus is the interaction between unit and individuals.

All staff at both wards were invited to participate. The intervention consists of 8 weekly group meetings where the participants learn different ways of practicing mindfulness and do home practice between the meetings. The control intervention is 8 weekly workshops in affect-consciousness.

Data are collected through self-reporting questionnaires on mindfulness, work- and health-related topics at six different points. The patients at both wards answers one questionnaire about ward atmosphere at the same points.

Data wil be analyzed on SPSS statistic programme.

Detailed description: MBSR for staff in inpatient psychiatric units

The challenges for staff working at an inpatient unit for psychotic people are many, and still more where the patients also have addiction problems. The patients are seriously ill and in need of extensive support and treatment. It is needed for the staff to be continuously aware and present, stand all kind of situations and hold out (contain) a lot of critique and threatening from the patients. Often they are too exhausted to take care of themselves and their own stress. The risk for burnout is high. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a mindfulness based 8-week course for stress reduction, known as MBSR course, given to all staff at an inpatient psychiatric ward influences the psychosocial atmosphere at the ward.

The design of the study is an intervention trial with repeated measures and control group. The intervention consists of 8 weekly group meetings where the participants learn different ways of practicing mindfulness; sitting, walking, yoga exercises,and body scan.They are asked to practice between the group-meetings and get a workbook and cds as support.

This is a prospective intervention study with control group and repeated measures over one year follow up. The focus is the interaction between unit and individuals.

To more closely study the specific effect of mindfulness practice the control group receive an active intervention which has similarities to mindfulness practice: workshops in affect - consciousness of same amount as the MBSR-course.

All staff at the research unit and the control unit were invited to participate, each group has a number of 25 - 30 individuals. Data are collected through self-reporting questionnaires at six different points. The patients answers one questionnaire at the same points.

The inventories chosen are:

Demographics Quality of life Subjective health complains Five Facets Mindfulness Questioner (Baer) Maslach Burnout Inventory Work satisfaction Total Work load - short form Ward-atmosphere scale (also for the patients) Sick leave and number of registered harm /injury- episodes will be taken on 3 -4 points.

Hopefully this study will show that when the staff practice mindfulness this will bring about a more relaxed and accepting atmosphere followed by lesser exhaustion and anxiety. Consequences should be that mindfulness practise becomes more ordinary in psychiatric hospital wards.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* all staff working at the ward 50 % or more, not attending to leave during the first year.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Staff working less than 50%, planned to leave before one year.

Primary outcomes:
measure: The ability of mindfulness measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
timeFrame: Three months before to one year follow up after the intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: The amount of work stress and burnout measured with The Maslach Burnout Inventory
timeFrame: Three months before intervention to one year follow up after the intervention
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Tromso
country: Norway
facility: University Hospital of North-Norway
state: Troms
Study officials:
affiliation: University Hospital of North Norway
name: Tordis Sorensen Hoifodt, dr med. phd
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References: