Evaluation of a Biofeedback-assisted Meditation Program as a Stress Management Tool for Hospital Nurses

NCT ID: NCT01011790

Last Updated: 2012-02-07

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 11 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2008-06-30
• Study Completion Date: 2008-07-31

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess a novel meditation program which is biofeedback reinforced (Healing Rhythms™) as a means to improving stress management in a population of nurses practicing in the hospital setting.

Detailed Description

Stress is a common problem with significant ramifications for health. This is especially true in the workplace and particularly true for nurses practicing in a hospital environment. A number of factors (e.g. an aging population, the obesity epidemic, patients presenting with multi-system diseases, etc.) have dramatically increased the demands on hospital nurses in the past decade. This increased stress has potential ramifications at a personal level (e.g. increased risk of ill health) as well as an institutional (e.g. higher staff turnover). Meditation has been shown to be an effective tool for stress management. A self-directed, computer-guided meditation training program that can be pursued independently may be particularly useful for hospital nurses where scheduling challenges may preclude the use of scheduled classes. Healing Rhythms™ is a computer program that teaches meditation and uses biofeedback (heart rate variability and galvanic skin response) to reinforce the training.

Conditions

Stress

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Stress Management Tool

All subjects will use the Healing Rhythms™ meditation program for 4 weeks.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Healing Rhythms™ Meditation Program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The Healing Rhythms™ meditation program was chosen as the intervention for this study because it has a long history of use in the consumer market, it provides a dual-mode biofeedback which allows users to visually see their progress, and it provides an attractive and engaging user interface which is enjoyable to use. This is a critical factor as the research cited documents the importance of adherence in achieving optimal outcomes.

Interventions

Healing Rhythms™ Meditation Program

The Healing Rhythms™ meditation program was chosen as the intervention for this study because it has a long history of use in the consumer market, it provides a dual-mode biofeedback which allows users to visually see their progress, and it provides an attractive and engaging user interface which is enjoyable to use. This is a critical factor as the research cited documents the importance of adherence in achieving optimal outcomes.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

Wild Devine

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Subjects ≥ 18 years of age
• Subjects that have given consent to participate
• Subjects that have access to a home computer

Exclusion Criteria

• Subjects who are currently engaged in a routine meditative practice

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 90 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Wild Divine

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Mayo Clinic

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Brent A. Bauer

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Susanne M. Cutshall, R.N., C.N.S.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Mayo Clinic

Brent A. Bauer, M.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Mayo Clinic

Locations

Mayo Clinic

Rochester, Minnesota, United States

Countries

United States

References

Cutshall SM, Wentworth LJ, Wahner-Roedler DL, Vincent A, Schmidt JE, Loehrer LL, Cha SS, Bauer BA. Evaluation of a biofeedback-assisted meditation program as a stress management tool for hospital nurses: a pilot study. Explore (NY). 2011 Mar-Apr;7(2):110-2. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2010.12.004.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 21397872 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

08-002094

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id