Efficacy of enhanced stress resilience training for intensive-care unit nurses: a randomized waitlist control trial.

Job stress and burnout are significant problems with negative impacts on psychological and occupational wellbeing of nurses. To examine the efficacy of 5-week Enhanced Stress Resilience Training (ESRT) among intensive-care unit (ICU) nurses. This randomized waitlist control trial included 48 ICU nurses in a university medical center in Northern California. The final sample for analysis included 40 nurses, including 18 nurses in the intervention group who completed all five ESRT sessions and provided post-intervention data. ESRT showed significant intervention effects in improving burnout, in the domains of personal accomplishment at immediately post-ESRT and at 1-month follow-up; but the effect on emotional exhaustion was not significant. For secondary outcomes (mindfulness, resilience, stress, depression, work abilities, professional fulfillment), ESRT showed significant intervention effects at either or both time points. ESRT can be an effective intervention to improve the psychological and occupational wellbeing of ICU nurses. • Enhanced Stress Resilience Training (ESRT) is a modified mindfulness-based stress reduction program tailored to clinicians. • ESRT significantly reduced burnout among ICU nurses, in the domains of personal accomplishment and depersonalization. • ESRT significantly reduced stress and depression and improved mental/physical work abilities and professional fulfillment. • ESRT is advised to mitigate burnout and promote the psychological and professional well-being of nurses.