Background: An educational intervention for stress management of healthcare workers based on a mindfulness approach called Focusing in an Italian teaching hospital.
Methods: In 2017 a pilot mandatory training on stress management targeted to healthcare workers was organized in the 447 bed teaching hospital Sant'Andrea in Rome. We implemented a mindfulness intervention called Focusing. Training with an adult learning approach was adopted. A mixed model using quantitative and qualitative methods was used to evaluate the course's effects on stress reduction. Quantitative data were collected with the Perceived Stress Scale and data were analyzed at two different time points: pre-intervention and post-intervention. Qualitative data were collected via a focus group interview at the end of the course.
Results: A total of 20 healthcare workers participated in the course and was divided in 2 groups: 7 physicians and 13 nurses. 15 (75%) were women and ages ranged from 31 to 56 (median age 46,5 years). 5 (25%) were men and ages ranged from 39 to 54 (median age 47 years). Perceived stress decreased with significant change (P=,0195) from 21,4 +/- 4,4 at baseline to 17,5 +/- 6.18 at the end of the course. The major changes the participants noted in their focus group were a greater sense of calmness, enhanced emotional self-regulation, improved coping, increased mental clarity and a sense of empowerment in dealing with the fear, anxiety, and other issues related to their work.
Conclusions: Our initial aim was to investigate whether the course, based on improve of self-empathy by Focusing, could help healthcare workers face the negative effects of stress. There was a significant reduction in perceived stress and qualitative results showed an improvement in reactivity to inner experience and a more attentive perception of internal and external experiences.
Keywords: Adult learning; Focusing; Health care workers; Self-empathy; Stress management.