Nurses Helping Nurses Reclaim Their Balance One Breath at a Time
Christine Gilchrist, RN, MSN, MPH, NC-BC; Caroline Ortiz, RN, MSN, MPH, CCAP, CMI; Jeanne Kenney, RN, BSN, HN-BC, CCAP
Format: Video of Slides

The session will discuss an Integrative Stress Management Program that was delivered for three years at a large urban teaching hospital. Participants will leave with an understanding of the successes and challenges of implementing the program and will be encouraged to consider which components of the program are replicable at their facility.

Unmanaged stress often leads to physical and emotional symptoms that are correlated with medical errors, absenteeism and turnover within the hospital setting. To address the higher rates of stress-related disease in nurses, an Integrative Stress Management Program was developed to bring innovative stress reduction and self-care modalities to nurses. The program offers staff the opportunity to experience integrative modalities during work hours within the in-patient care setting. Participants experience breath work, centering and grounding, essential oils, meditation and imagery, Reiki and biofeedback.

Current program data includes baseline surveys, two to three months prior to receiving the program's services and at the end of each unit's rotation. The surveys used the Perceived Stress Scale, a four question validated test. The reported reduction in stress levels collected from post surveys infers the intervention positively impacted job performance and satisfaction and helped participants' better handle stressors. An IRB expedited review is pending for a retrospective study analyzing additional indicators that will show the program's effect on patients (HCAHPS).