Investigating the impact of the RENEW program on enhancing nurses' resilience: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19, was first identified in December 2019 and rapidly became a global pandemic. This health crisis placed unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems, and nurses, as frontline caregivers, bore the brunt of the psychological and physical toll. The burnout from this crisis highlighted the need to focus on nurses’ resilience. To evaluate the effectiveness of the RENEW online educational program in enhancing the resilience of nurses working at Imam Hassan (AS) Hospital in Bojnurd(The capital of North Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran). METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted in 2023 with the participation of 86 nurses who had a resilience score of ≤ 75. Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention (RENEW) or the control group. The RENEW program consisted of six weekly online educational sessions. Data were collected using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and were analyzed using SPSS. RESULTS: The average resilience score in the intervention group showed a significant increase after the program implementation and at the six-month follow-up compared to the control group (P < 0.001). The interaction effect between time and group was also significant (P = 0.019), indicating the sustained effectiveness of the RENEW program in improving resilience. CONCLUSION: The RENEW educational program significantly improved nurses’ resilience. These findings emphasize the importance of designing structured interventions tailored to nurses’ working conditions to enhance their mental health. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20240222061081N1). Registered on 19 May 2024.