Interventions to promote well-being of nightshift nursing team members

To measure the impact of a mindfulness or physical activity intervention and the combination of both on hospital nightshift nursing teams' professional quality of life, medication administration error, role meaning, and sleep quality.

In this two-site study using a cluster cross-over randomized trial design, 18 units were randomized to one of two interventions (mindfulness or physical activity) during the first 8-week period and to both interventions during the second 8-week period. Questionnaires completed at baseline (T0), Week 8 (T1), and Week 18 (T2) included the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL-21) (Compassion Satisfaction, Compassion Fatigue), PROMIS Sleep Disturbance, PROMIS Sleep Impairment, Sleep Hygiene, and Role-Related Meaning Scale for Staff (RRMSS).

Participants (n = 82) completed questionnaires at T0, 33 at T1, and 23 at T2. Significant improvements in PROMIS Sleep Disturbance scores occurred within both study arms from T0 to T1 and T1 to T2 and within both arms in PROMIS Sleep Impairment scores from T0 to T1 and from T0 to T2. Across questionnaires, the largest improvement occurred between T0 and T2 and the least between T1 and T2. Compassion satisfaction had the largest improvement in the physical activity intervention and compassion fatigue had the largest improvement in the mindfulness intervention.

Mindfulness and physical activity interventions can reduce sleep disturbance, sleep impairment, and compassion fatigue and improve compassion satisfaction in nightshift nursing care teams.

Nursing care team members' sleep and professional quality of life could directly benefit from hospital-sponsored nightshift well-being interventions including mindfulness, physical activities and sleep hygiene information.