Improving the culture of safety on a high‐acuity inpatient child/adolescent psychiatric unit by mindfulness‐based stress reduction training of staff

Abstract

ProblemThe purpose of this study was to reduce perceived levels of interprofessional staff stress and to improve patient and staff safety by implementing a brief mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) training program on a highacuity psychiatric inpatient unit.MethodsA one‐group repeated measure design was utilized to measure the impact of the (MBSR) training program on staff stress and safety immediately posttraining and at 2 months. Two instruments were utilized in the study: the Toronto Mindfulness Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale.FindingsThe MBSR program reduced staff stress across the 2‐month post‐training period and increased staff mindfulness immediately following the brief training period of 8 days, and across the 2‐month post‐training period. A trend toward positive impact on patient and staff safety was also seen in a decreased number of staff call‐ins, decreased need for 1:1 staffing episodes, and decreased restraint use 2 months following the training period.ConclusionsA brief MBSR training program offered to an interprofessional staff of a high‐acuity inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit was effective in decreasing their stress, increasing their mindfulness, and improving staff and patient safety.