Intervención breve basada en ACT y mindfulness: estudio piloto con profesionales de enfermería en UCI y Urgencias

Nurses develop their work in a highly stressful context, where their emotional, attentional and well-being resources are frequently impaired. Because the health care work context is a dynamic and changing context, it is necessary to continue implementing and evaluating the efficacy of brief interventions that consider the organizational needs. The aim of the current paper is showing the result of a pilot study, which implemented and assessed the efficacy of a brief intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness to improve nurses levels of psychological flexibility, mindfulness and well-being. Intervention was conducted in a public and tertiary-level hospital in Madrid, specifically in their Intensive Care Units and Emergency Room. For this pilot study, 50 nurses were randomly selected of a total professional population of 164. They were assigned to two groups: the experimental and the waiting-list group. Between-group comparison showed that the intervention had significant benefits in terms of vitality and purpose of life among participants when compared with controls. Intra-group comparisons also showed significant benefits on nurses’ psychological flexibility and negative affect when both groups received the intervention. The intervention also significantly changed nurses’ vitality at follow-up. These results were discussed in terms of strengths and limitations that a brief intervention of these characteristics could have in the work context.