Qualitative Study Critique on the Mindfulness-Based Interventions - Paper Example

Introduction

The mindfulness-based interventions are efficient as preventative and curative approaches to the psychological health. Currently, most of the employees' experience at workplace and this affects their performance. Also, most people do not understand the issue of stress among employees. Therefore, it is essential to understand change mechanisms that can assist in supporting employees' engagement and trust in the work based mindfulness programs and enhance the ability of the employees to use mindfulness throughout their work life.

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Background of Study

Nurses experiences physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion which lead to disengagement. Burnout can cause dulled emotions among nurses and detachments which are highly linked with emotional drain, and out the life of a patient at risks. Burnout occurs because of a long shift, overworking, high-stress nursing environments and inability to cope with stress and death of either patient or sickness. Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018) argues that inflammatory response among the nurses can be easily triggered by persistent stress. Persistent stress has been assorted with mental health conditions and chronic physical conditions. Work-related stress can lead to overall stress, increased susceptibility to coronary heart diseases, major depressive disorders. The need to reduce the potential harms and stress as well as the protect the work against the effect of stress has to lead to the increased interest on managing burnout. Mindfulness is the metacognitive monitoring or current moment experiences without having a fixation or any form of judgment (Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis, 2018).

The aim of the study was, therefore, to determine if implementing mindfulness-training programs can reduce burnout among the emergency department nurses over the three weeks period (Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis, 2018). The goals were to determine if the nurses who undergo mindfulness training will be more effective compared to those who do not undertake the mindfulness training. The author realized that nurse work long shifts and are burdened by compassion fatigue which may compromise their health and patient's outcomes. Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018) was also motivated by the scarcity of literature on the impact of mindfulness training on burnout thus the desire to fill the literature gap. Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018)'s main aim was to elicit and analyze the account from the past participant of the workplace mindfulness intervention to generate a preliminary model of how the positive benefits of mindfulness training can be secured. The objectives of the research included investigating the benefits of mindfulness training among nurses, determining the relationship between recovery agency and mindfulness training, and analyzing how mindfulness training is correlated with stress management.

Method of Study

Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018) used a qualitative method to meet the research goals and objectives. The Qualitative method used is appropriate to answer the research questions because it offered the respondents chances to provide in-depth and additional insight into the relationship between mindfulness training and employee burnout. Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018) provided a list of quantitative and qualitative studies that explored the same problems but argued that there are only a few studies related to mindfulness training and employee burn. Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018) also noted that only a few studies have focused on the outcome of the mindfulness training but no research has ever analyzed the process of mindfulness studies. Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018) did not identify a specific perspective from which the study was conducted by clearly stated that a bottom-up approach was used to determine how mindfulness training can promote cater and prevent any form of compassion fatigue (Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis, 2018).

Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018) also clearly stated and cited the quantitative and qualitative studies that are relevant to the focus of the study. The authors also provide a rationale for an adopting the bottom up approach which adequately convinces the audiences of the focus of the scud. Primary and secondary data were iced. Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018) also included extraneous factors that might limit the transferability and generalizability of the study.

Results of Study

Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018) found that the participant's narration of their experience with watchfulness training can be categorized into stages with each stage of mindfulness offering new benefits, new ways of thinking and distinct experience from other stages. Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018)s however, stated that early intervention can significantly help in reducing burnout in nurses as it also had subsequent benefits to the nurses in later stages. The nurses stated that their main reason for attending the mindfulness training programs is to develop a richer understanding of mindfulness. Other states that they attended the programs excuse of personal and professional curiosity while wanted to make an effort against stress or respite and repair from stress. The strike against stress included the participants desire to improve their effective and cognitive regulation; increase their organizational demand and resilience (Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis, 2018).

Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018) also found out the mindfulness training help in concentration, to overcome procrastination. Mindfulness training also helped in reducing stress without taking drugs. At the resonance stage, the participants had early embodied experiences of mindfulness and as they heard other participant's account of the experiences, they felt their weight lifted off their shedders. At stage 2, the participants legitimized self-care as they realized the benefit of investing in their wellbeing and intellectual justification. At stage 3, the respondents developed a new awareness of their state of mind and body. People develop awareness of their thought process to various situations. At stage 4, the participants started developing skills to detect the psychological and physiologic markers of stress (Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis, 2018)

Ethical Considerations

Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis (2018) acquired ethical approval from the university research ethics committee (institutional review board) before conducting the study. All the participants who were graduates in workplace mindfulness-based programs were recruited with permission and informed of their privacy and rights. The ethical considerations regarding the treatment of participants were communicated to the participants and implemented (Hugh-Jones, Rose, Koutsopoulou, & Simms-Ellis, 2018).

Conclusion

Mindfulness is one of the most effective ways to reduce burnout among nurses. There is a significant correlation between the nurse's quality of health and patient outcomes. Nurses who experience burnout are likely to develop compassion fatigue, cause medication errors and lead to adverse patient outcomes. This study is therefore of importance in filing the literature gap in mindfulness training among nurses as it proposes that hospitals should develop and implement mindfulness programs.

The implication of the study findings is that hospitals should introduce and enforce mindfulness-training programs to help their nurses overcome burnout and improve patient outcome as well as their cognitive and effective regulations. Nurses may be overcome with compassion that they give all their efforts to the patient until they develop compassion fatigue and burnout. The mindfulness training programs would help nurse understand their body's signals to help them initiate proactive recovery from burnout or protecting himself or herself from burnout. Nurses should be taught how to initiate self-care and improve self-awareness. By legitimizing self-care, the patient realizes the need to justify active care of their mental health. Mindfulness helps the nurses overcome the reluctance and guilt for engaging in self-care. Vicarious learning, normalization, cohesion, empathy, compassion and reduced professional isolation are therefore presented as the most effective way to initiate and sustain mindfulness. They are also the most therapeutic way of stress reduction.

Reference

Hugh-Jones, S., Rose, S., Koutsopoulou, G. Z., & Simms-Ellis, R. (2018). How Is Stress Reduced by a Workplace Mindfulness Intervention? A Qualitative Study Conceptualising Experiences of Change. Mindfulness, 9(2), 474-487. DOI 10.1007/s12671-017-0790-2