Mindful Hand Hygiene for Burnout

This trial aims to determine if practicing mindfulness can help VA physicians and nurses manage stress and improve hand hygiene. Participants will either engage in mindfulness activities, such as using handwashing as a moment to focus and clear their minds, or be observed for their current hand hygiene habits. The trial will assess whether those practicing mindfulness experience improved well-being and adhere to better hand hygiene practices. Nurses and physicians working on inpatient medical teams, excluding medical students and certain specialists, may be eligible to participate. As an unphased trial, this study offers participants the opportunity to contribute to innovative research that could enhance well-being and professional practices.

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems unlikely since the study focuses on mindfulness and hand hygiene.

Research shows that mindfulness training is generally safe and well-tolerated by participants. Studies have found that mindfulness can improve stress, burnout, and overall mental health. For example, some research found that mindfulness training reduced stress and burnout among nurses. Other studies have shown that mindfulness programs can enhance depression and sleep quality.

Researchers are excited about the Mindful Hand Hygiene intervention because it merges mindfulness practices with routine hand hygiene to tackle burnout, a novel approach not typically seen with standard burnout treatments like therapy or medication. Unlike traditional methods that focus solely on mental health through counseling or stress management techniques, this treatment integrates mindfulness into daily activities, making it more accessible and potentially more sustainable for individuals. By using hand hygiene as a prompt to practice mindfulness, it encourages regular and mindful engagement throughout the day, which could lead to improved mental well-being and reduced burnout symptoms over time.

Research shows that mindfulness activities can help nurses feel better by reducing stress and burnout. These activities, such as mindfulness training and exercises, lower burnout in healthcare workers. Mindfulness also reduces ongoing stress, leading to greater job satisfaction and a desire to remain in the job. While some shorter mindfulness programs have not been very effective, others have successfully improved nurses' well-being. In this trial, participants in the Mindful Hand Hygiene Intervention arm will practice mindfulness during routine tasks like handwashing, potentially boosting mental health and reducing burnout among healthcare professionals.²⁴⁶⁷⁸