Cognitive Rehearsal, HeartMath, and Simulation: An Intervention to Build Resilience and Address Incivility.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Professionalism
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Incivility in healthcare settings negatively impacts patient safety and disproportionately affects nursing students and new graduates.
• There is a critical need for evidence-based educational strategies to mitigate the effects of incivility.
• Addressing incivility is essential for maintaining a safe patient care environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel intervention designed to equip nursing students with tools to manage incivility.
• To enhance the resilience of nursing students when confronted with uncivil behaviors in clinical settings.
• To contribute to patient safety by preparing future nurses to navigate and address workplace incivility.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study involving 188 prelicensure nursing students.
• Intervention incorporated cognitive rehearsal, HeartMath techniques, and simulation using the TeamSTEPPS™ Concerned, Uncomfortable, and Safety model.
• Focused on addressing acts of incivility that pose a threat to patient safety.

Main Results:

• Positive student evaluations were reported immediately after the intervention and at a 6-month follow-up.
• Eight distinct themes emerged from student descriptions of uncivil experiences in patient care settings.
• The intervention demonstrated success in preparing students to handle uncivil situations.

Conclusions:

• The intervention successfully provided nursing students with evidence-based strategies to build resilience against incivility.
• Nurse educators should integrate civility education and resilience-building techniques into curricula.
• Implementing such programs can improve the healthcare environment and protect patient safety.