Occupational burnout and stress of nurses in Taiwan regarding COVID-19: An intervention with gong medication.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of gong meditation on nurses' perceived stress and occupational burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: Nurses play an important role in hospitals, and they currently encounter additional stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN AND METHODS: In this experimental study, participants were provided intervention with seven sections of gong meditation, and each session lasted for approximately 50-60 min. Data were collected from July 2020 to February 2021. Eighty nurses were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group, and 79 completed all the processes of our protocol. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used in data analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the experimental group experienced significant improvements in stress and occupational burnout. CONCLUSIONS: Gong meditation can effectively alleviate stress and occupational burnout among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Gong meditation can be provided by hospital managers to all nurses to reduce their stress, occupational burnout and subsequent mental health problems. Additionally, we suggest that gong meditation can be used as an effective intervention for individuals in other occupational fields, as it is accessible and inexpensive intervention.